Effects of Ashwagandha on Anxiety, Motility, and Reproductive Behaviors in Drosophila melanogaster

Abstract

Ashwagandha (Withania subnifera) is a popular naturopathic supplement, derived from evergreen shrubs, that is commonly used as a form of stress management. Prior research suggests that Ashwagandha extract may lower stress and anxiety by lowering cortisol levels, but the long-term effects and efficacy of its use are still somewhat controversial. In this study, we analyzed the effects of Ashwagandha’s proposed stress-relieving ability in the model organism, Drosophila melanogaster. Stress was induced in the D. melanogaster through exposure to a high intensity light source and behaviors related to mating, anxiety, and motility were observed. To help alleviate this stress, one group of D. melanogaster was supplemented with a physiologically relevant dose of liquid drops of Ashwagandha. The methods used for this study include observing generalized social behaviors, RING assays, and mating behaviors/interactions. Qualitative data were recorded, and respective t-tests were used to determine the significance of the data collected. The results showed a statistically significant difference between the Ashwagandha-treated D. melanogaster and the untreated D. melanogaster for the generalized social behaviors and the mating behavior, with no statistical significance for the RING assay. Our data shows that Ashwagandha can help reduce stress-induced behavior in D. melanogaster, therefore future research should be done regarding stress and motility in D. melanogaster, as well as the impact of Ashwagandha in humans.