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Comments on Maulik, Malabika et al. (2015) International Worm Meeting "Alaskan blueberry and Sirtuin 1-mediated neuroprotection in a Caenorhabditis elegans model of Parkinson's disease." (0)
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Maulik, Malabika, Kuhn, Sally, & Taylor, Barbara E. (2015). Alaskan blueberry and Sirtuin 1-mediated neuroprotection in a Caenorhabditis elegans model of Parkinson's disease presented in International Worm Meeting. Unpublished information; cite only with author permission.
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons and aggregation of alpha-synuclein (AS) protein leading to motor and cognitive impairment. The current study investigates the role of Alaskan bog blueberry (Vaccinum uliginosum), on alpha synuclein aggregation using a transgenic model of Caenorhabditis elegans expressing human alpha-synuclein [NL5901 (P(unc-54)::alpha-synuclein::YFP+unc-119)].The current study also examines the role of Sirtuin 1, a histone deacetylase, in reducing the toxicity of alpha-synuclein aggregates and whether this effect is mediated via expression of molecular chaperones, HSP1 and HSP70. The Alaskan bog blueberry was chosen for its high phenolic content, because phenolics have been shown to modulate sirtuin-mediated molecular pathways. Our experiments showed that the crude extract of low bog blueberry (400 and 800 ug/ml) reduced alpha-synuclein aggregation. For high-dose blueberry extract (800 ug/ml), the protection was mediated by sirtuin and HSF-1, which is independent of HSP 70. These findings encourage further studies on these Alaskan botanicals as possible therapeutic agents for Parkinson's disease, specifically of interest are the identification of active ingredients within the extracts and their optimal doses.
Affiliations:
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry,900 Yukon Drive Rm. 194 University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775-6160
- Department of Biology and Wildlife,101 Murie ,982 N. Koyukuk Dr., University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775