COMPARATIVE ANALYSİS OF ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY AND PROTEIN CONTENT OF LUCILIA SERICATA SECRETIONS OBTAINED VIA DIFFERENT EXTRACTION TECHNIQUES

Lucilia sericata larvae are of critical importance in medical entomology due to their biotherapeutic properties (particularly their antibacterial, debridement and tissue regeneration properties in the treatment of chronic wounds). This study aims to quantitatively evaluate the changes in the antioxidant capacity and protein content of larval secretions, depending on different extraction methods, using phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), bidistilled water (BDS), and total body fluid (TVS). Within the scope of the method, the DPPH radical scavenging test (IC5 and inhibition) and total protein determination using the Bradford method were performed on three extract groups obtained using different techniques. According to the findings, secretions extracted with PBS exhibited the strongest antioxidant activity with the lowest IC5 value of 0.0932 ± 0.0059 mg/mL. This result is explained by the fact that PBS stabilises protein structures and bioactive peptides, thereby protecting antioxidant components. In the Bradford assay, a protein content of 47.12 ± 0.0074 mg/mL was recorded. In bidistilled water (BDS) extracts, the protein content was significantly lower than in PBS due to the release of endogenous inhibitors caused by cellular lysis in the hypotonic environment. IC5°: 0.1728 ± 0.0121 mg/mL, with protein yield limited to 3.3 ± 0.0049 mg/mL.Total body fluid (TVF), on the other hand, showed higher performance than bidistilled water (BDW) but weaker performance than phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) due to interference from haemolymph lipids and chitin debris: IC5°: 0.1619 ± 0.0234 mg/mL, limited to 10.68 ± 0.0028 mg/mL protein. In conclusion, in the in vitro evaluation of the biotherapeutic potential of L. sericata secretions: extraction with PBS is the optimal method in terms of protein stability and preservation of antioxidant components. The use of BDS and TVS carries the risk of activity loss and analytical interference. These findings provide critical methodological references for the standardisation of larval- derived therapeutics.