Pharmaceutical testing on epigenetic effects are very limited. The routine use of vertebrates as preclinical research models is constrained by their long mating and generational times, leading to very low numbers of progeny to test and assess. In contrast, invertebrates such as insects are ethically acceptable, and convenient as a laboratory model because they breed rapidly, and produce plenty of offspring under the right circumstances. Here, we used the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, as a model to screen for the effect of psychoactive drugs on behavioral traits. We tested environment/diets supplemented with the experimental drug, valproic acid (VPA), which is a histone deacetylase inhibitor, at different concentrations, and a control drug, diphenhydramine. VPA is a commonly prescribed psychoactive drug used in the treatment of migraines, epilepsy etc. VPA is known as a teratogen. The aim of this study was to examine effects on behavior, fecundity, viability and survival from exposure to this drug.
