The objective of the present study was to investigate the impact of zinc and copper on some biomarkers in a model organism Galleria mellonella L. We investigated the effects of Cu and Zn (10, 50, and 100 mg/100 g diets) on different biomarkers such as oxidative stress parameters (SOD and CAT activities and MDA levels), energy resources (protein, lipid and glycogen levels), electrolyte contents (Ca, Na, and K levels), total hemocyte count (THC), and growth and development of G. mellonella. Additionally, the accumulation levels of the used metals were also studied. Cu caused a significant decrease in protein, lipid and glycogen levels. SOD and CAT activities significantly increased at all concentrations of Cu, while they significantly increased at only high concentrations of Zn (50 and 100 mg). Lipid peroxidation levels (MDA) significantly elevated at high concentrations of both metals. It was determined that the Cu and Zn accumulation increased depending on the increase of the concentration. Zn caused an alteration in Ca level at the concentrations of 50 and 100 mg, and K and Na levels at all concentrations. While, THC significantly reduced at all Cu concentrations, this reduction was observed only at higher Zn concentrations (50 and 100 mg). Larval and pupal development time significantly extended at the highest concentration (100 mg) of Cu, and females’ lifespan significantly shortened at all concentrations of Cu. Zinc caused an extension in larval development time at the highest concentration (100 mg), and caused a shortening in females and males’ lifetime at all concentrations. The observed changes in biomarkers can be used as the illustration of potential toxic effects of high levels of Cu and Zn in organisms.

本研究的目的是研究锌和铜对模式生物Galleria mellonella L 中某些生物标志物的影响。我们研究了铜和锌（10、50 和 100 毫克/100 克饮食）对不同生物标志物的影响例如氧化应激参数（SOD 和 CAT 活性和 MDA 水平）、能量资源（蛋白质、脂质和糖原水平）、电解质含量（Ca、Na 和 K 水平）、总血细胞计数（THC）以及生长发育G. mellonella. 此外，还研究了所用金属的积累水平。铜导致蛋白质、脂质和糖原水平显着降低。SOD 和 CAT 活性在所有 Cu 浓度下均显着增加，而仅在高浓度 Zn（50 和 100 mg）下显着增加。在两种金属的高浓度下，脂质过氧化水平 (MDA) 显着升高。可以确定，随着浓度的增加，Cu 和 Zn 的积累量也会增加。Zn 在 50 和 100 mg 的浓度下引起 Ca 水平的变化，在所有浓度下引起 K 和 Na 水平的变化。虽然 THC 在所有 Cu 浓度下都显着降低，但这种降低仅在较高的 Zn 浓度（50 和 100 mg）下观察到。在铜的最高浓度（100 mg）下，幼虫和蛹的发育时间显着延长，而在所有铜浓度下雌性的寿命都显着缩短。锌在最高浓度（100 毫克）下导致幼虫发育时间延长，并在所有浓度下导致雌性和雄性寿命缩短。观察到的生物标志物变化可以用来说明生物体内高水平铜和锌的潜在毒性作用。