Holothuria scabra extracts exhibit anti-Parkinson potential in C. elegans: A model for anti-Parkinson testing

Abstract

Objectives: Parkinson's disease (PD) is associated with aggregation of α-synuclein and selective death of dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra, thereby leading to cognitive and motor impairments. Nowadays, the drugs commonly used for PD treatment, such as levodopa, provide only symptomatic relief. Therefore, seeking new drugs against PD, especially from plants and marine organisms, is one of the major research areas to be explored. This study aimed to investigate the anti-Parkinson activity of the extracts from the sea cucumber, Holothuria scabra, by using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model.

Methods: H. scabra was solvent-extracted and subdivided into six fractions including whole body-ethyl acetate (WBEA), body wall-ethyl acetate (BWEA), viscera-ethyl acetate (VIEA), whole body-butanol (WBBU), body wall-butanol (BWBU), and viscera-butanol (VIBU). The extracts were tested in C. elegans BZ555 strain expressing the green fluorescent protein (GFP) specifically in the DA neurons and NL5901 strain expressing human α-synuclein in the muscle cells.

Results: WBEA, BWEA, and WBBU fractions of H. scabra extracts at 500 µg/ml significantly attenuated DA neuron-degeneration induced by selective cathecholamine neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) in the BZ555 strain. Moreover, the extracts also reduced α-synuclein aggregation and restored lipid content in NL5901, as well as improved food-sensing behavior and prolonged lifespan in the 6-OHDA-treated wild-type strain.

Discussion: The study indicated that the H. scabra extracts have anti-Parkinson potential in the C. elegans model. These findings encourage further investigations on using the H. scabra extract, as well as its active constituent compounds, as a possible preventive and/or therapeutic intervention against PD.

Keywords:

• Parkinson's disease
• Holothuria scabra
• Caenorhabditis elegans
• Dopaminergic neurons
• α-Synuclein
• Neurodegeneration

Acknowledgments

This study was supported by Agricultural Research Development Agency (Public Organization) and Faculty of Science, Mahidol University. C. elegans strains used in this study were provided by the CGC, which is funded by NIH Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (P40 OD010440).

Disclaimer statements

Contributors PC performed all animal experiments and conducted data analysis. KM, PS and PJ interpreted data, suggested and put forward the idea. TP provided the H. scabra for extraction. SN did the NMR analysis of H. scabra extract.

Conflicts of interest The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Ethics approval None.

Supplemental data

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed 10.1080/1028415X.2017.1299437.

ORCID

Saksit Nobsathian http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8499-0798

Krai Meemon http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5700-2646

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by Agricultural Research Development Agency (Public Organization).