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Effect of Alaskan low bush cranberry on alpha‐synuclein overexpression in a transgenic model of C. elegans
Author(s) -
Lu Brianna,
Maulik Malabika,
BultIto Abel
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.2018.32.1_supplement.782.16
Subject(s) - caenorhabditis elegans , alpha synuclein , transgene , dopaminergic , biology , genetically modified mouse , disease , parkinson's disease , motility , microbiology and biotechnology , neuroscience , gene , biochemistry , dopamine , medicine
Parkinson's Disease is the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder affecting more than 10 million worldwide (Tanner and Goldman 1996). The disease is characterized by a loss of dopaminergic neurons and aggregation of α‐synuclein proteins in the brain, resulting in impaired motor function and cognition that worsens with age. This study aims to observes the effects of Alaska low‐bush cranberry ( Vaccinium vitis‐idaea) extracts on the α‐synuclein overexpression in a popular transgenic model, Caenorhabditis elegans. We tested the hypothesis that the low‐bush cranberry extracts would aid in reducing protein aggregation, and increase overall motility and lifespan of the OW13 C. elegans expressing human α‐synuclein proteins by using fluorescent imaging and microscopy. Preliminary results from our study finds that the certain doses of this botanical extract reduces the protein expression significantly (p<0.05). This study encourages further research on such endemic natural compounds as potential treatment for Parkinson's disease and identifying associated molecular mechanisms for the same. This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal .