Glucose and the Flies by Matthew Uppani

Hi friends! It’s hard to believe that we are in Week 6. I have learned so much in the lab and completed my introductory experiment on the impact of black cohosh on female fertility. I have now become faster at sorting flies. Now, I’m one week into my independent research project and the lab is getting more interesting and I have made new friends

For my independent project, I’m researching the impact of Atorvastatin, a cholesterol lowering drug, on blood sugar level.

For my independent project, I’m researching the impact of Atorvastatin, a cholesterol lowering drug, on blood sugar level. My father started taking Atorvastatin a couple of years ago to lower his cholesterol, and he noticed an increase in his blood sugar levels (A1C test). So, I am curious to see if his elevated glucose level has anything to do with Atorvastatin or just a coincidence. Also, I learned from my parents that fenugreek (a spice used in Indian cooking) has the potential to lower blood sugar. I think it would be interesting to see if Atorvastatin and fenugreek have any kind of effects on blood sugar by testing the same conditions on my flies by analyzing the glucose in their hemolymph. I would be addressing the questions: How is fruit fly glucose level affected by Atorvastatin and fenugreek? Does Atorvastatin raise glucose in flies? Does fenugreek lower the elevated glucose in flies?

Now the most interesting part for the next couple of weeks is beheading the flies! As the flies are too tiny, I am not sure how I can cut the heads off. The glucose assay indirectly measures glucose metabolism by measuring the absorption of light in a pink-colored solution in a spectrophotometer. If the heads are not removed, the pigment would mess up the data as the eyes of fruit flies are red. But my flies have white eyes because they are mutants and way cooler than normal flies. I can't wait to see how the results turn out. I’m excited for the weeks to come; I’ll see you in the next blog!

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