Neuroprotective properties of solanum leaves in transgenic Drosophila melanogaster model of Alzheimer's disease

Abstract

Introduction

We investigated the effect of African eggplant (AE) (Solanum macrocarpon L) and Black nightshade (BN) (Solanum nigrum L) leaves; two tropical vegetables consumed by humans on behavioural, biochemical and histological indices in Drosophila melanogaster model of Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Materials and Method

Transgenic flies expressing human Amyloid Precursor Protein (hAPP) and β-secretase (hBACE 1) were exposed to the pulverised leaf samples (0.1 and 1.0%) in their diets for fourteen days. Thereafter, the flies were assessed for their behavioural indices and routine histology of brain cells. Furthermore, fly head homogenates were assayed for β-amyloid level, activities of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and β-secretase (BACE-1), as well as oxidative stress markers.

Results

Result showed that the significantly lower (p < 0.05) behavioural parameters (survival, locomotor performance and memory index), higher AChE and BACE-1 activities, β-amyloid, ROS and lipid peroxidation levels, as well as reduced antioxidant indices observed in the AD flies, were significantly ameliorated (p < 0.05) in AD flies treated with the leaf samples.

Discussion

This study has showed that leaves of AE and BN ameliorated behavioural and biochemical indices in AD flies via neural enzyme modulatory, and antioxidant mechanisms

Conclusion

Hence, this study further justifies the neuroprotective properties of both AE and BN.

Keywords:

• Alzheimer's disease
• transgene
• Drosophila melanogaster
• Solanum spp

Acknowledgement

The authors wish to appreciate the International Foundation for Science (IFS) for supporting this study through a research grant awarded to the first author. The authors appreciate Dr. Daniel R. Marenda of the Department of Biology, University of Drexel, Philadelphia, USA for the generous donations of the transgenic files used for this study.

Disclosure statement

The authors have no conflict of interest to declare

Supporting information

The average feed intake by the flies, as well as LC-MS/MS and HPLC characterisation for constituent phenolic and alkaloids in both samples are available as supporting information.

Data availability statements

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

This research is funded by the International Foundation for Science [Grant no: I-3-F-6343-1]