Healthspan Maintenance and Prevention of Parkinson’s-like Phenotypes with Hydroxytyrosol and Oleuropein Aglycone in C. elegans

Numerous studies highlighted the beneficial effects of the Mediterranean diet (MD) in maintaining health, especially during ageing. Even neurodegeneration, which is part of the natural ageing process, as well as the foundation of ageing-related neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease (PD), was successfully targeted by MD. In this regard, olive oil and its polyphenolic constituents have received increasing attention in the last years. Thus, this study focuses on two main olive oil polyphenols, hydroxytyrosol (HT) and oleuropein aglycone (OLE), and their effects on ageing symptoms with special attention to PD. In order to avoid long-lasting, expensive, and ethically controversial experiments, the established invertebrate model organism Caenorhabditis elegans was used to test HT and OLE treatments. Interestingly, both polyphenols were able to increase the survival after heat stress, but only HT could prolong the lifespan in unstressed conditions. Furthermore, in aged worms, HT and OLE caused improvements of locomotive behavior and the attenuation of autofluorescence as a marker for ageing. In addition, by using three different C. elegans PD models, HT and OLE were shown i) to enhance locomotion in worms suffering from α-synuclein-expression in muscles or rotenone exposure, ii) to reduce α-synuclein accumulation in muscles cells, and iii) to prevent neurodegeneration in α-synuclein-containing dopaminergic neurons. Hormesis, antioxidative capacities and an activity-boost of the proteasome & phase II detoxifying enzymes are discussed as potential underlying causes for these beneficial effects. Further biological and medical trials are indicated to assess the full potential of HT and OLE and to uncover their mode of action.

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Healthspan Enhancement by Olive Polyphenols in C. elegans Wild Type and Parkinson’s Models

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms21113893 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 21 (11) ◽

pp. 3893 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Gabriele Di Rosa ◽

Giovanni Brunetti ◽

Maria Scuto ◽

Angela Trovato Salinaro ◽

Edward J. Calabrese ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Neurodegenerative Disorder ◽

Model Organism ◽

Full Potential ◽

Wild Type ◽

Motor Impairments ◽

C Elegans ◽

Beneficial Effects ◽

Swim Performance ◽

Polyphenolic Extract ◽

Health Promoting

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most prevalent late-age onset neurodegenerative disorder, affecting 1% of the population after the age of about 60 years old and 4% of those over 80 years old, causing motor impairments and cognitive dysfunction. Increasing evidence indicates that Mediterranean diet (MD) exerts beneficial effects in maintaining health, especially during ageing and by the prevention of neurodegenerative disorders. In this regard, olive oil and its biophenolic constituents like hydroxytyrosol (HT) have received growing attention in the past years. Thus, in the current study we test the health-promoting effects of two hydroxytyrosol preparations, pure HT and Hidrox® (HD), which is hydroxytyrosol in its “natural” environment, in the established invertebrate model organism Caenorhabditis elegans. HD exposure led to much stronger beneficial locomotion effects in wild type worms compared to HT in the same concentration. Consistent to this finding, in OW13 worms, a PD-model characterized by α-synuclein expression in muscles, HD exhibited a significant higher effect on α-synuclein accumulation and swim performance than HT, an effect partly confirmed also in swim assays with the UA44 strain, which features α-synuclein expression in DA-neurons. Interestingly, beneficial effects of HD and HT treatment with similar strength were detected in the lifespan and autofluorescence of wild-type nematodes, in the neuronal health of UA44 worms as well as in the locomotion of rotenone-induced PD-model. Thus, the hypothesis that HD features higher healthspan-promoting abilities than HT was at least partly confirmed. Our study demonstrates that HD polyphenolic extract treatment has the potential to partly prevent or even treat ageing-related neurodegenerative diseases and ageing itself. Future investigations including mammalian models and human clinical trials are needed to uncover the full potential of these olive compounds.

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Benefits of Using the Invertebrate Model Organism C. Elegans in an Inquiry-Based Laboratory Activity

Teaching of Psychology ◽

10.1177/00986283211029649 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 009862832110296

Author(s):

Angy J. Kallarackal

Keyword(s):

American Psychological Association ◽

Model Organism ◽

Learning Goals ◽

Research Skills ◽

Final Exam ◽

Laboratory Activity ◽

Writing Ability ◽

C Elegans ◽

Invertebrate Model ◽

Laboratory Experiences

Background: The goals of laboratory experiences include developing knowledge base, research skills, and scientific communication abilities. Objective: The aim was to assess an inquiry-based laboratory activity using the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans in relation to learning goals. Method: Students in a Biopsychology laboratory course worked in groups to test the effect of various drugs (e.g., nicotine, ethanol, fluoxetine, and melatonin) on C. elegans behavior. The activity included literature review, experimental design, and a final lab report. A cumulative final exam included a synaptic communication question related to the content of the activity. Results: Students showed better retention of laboratory-related content compared to other topics from the course, as demonstrated through performance on the final exam and were able to replicate previous research demonstrating effects of drug on locomotion. However, students did not improve writing ability compared to performance on a previous American Psychological Association style lab report. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that using a student-designed, multi-week laboratory assignment in an undergraduate Biopsychology course supports the growth of psychology knowledge and the development of research skills. Teaching Implications: Instructors should consider using the described laboratory activity for biopsychology or behavioral neuroscience classes or consider similarly designed laboratory formats for other courses in Psychology.

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Anti-aging and Anti-aggregation Properties of Polyphenolic Compounds in C. elegans

Current Pharmaceutical Design ◽

10.2174/1381612824666180515145652 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 24 (19) ◽

pp. 2107-2120 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Nikoletta Papaevgeniou ◽

Niki Chondrogianni

Keyword(s):

Oxidative Stress ◽

Model Organism ◽

Protective Role ◽

Polyphenolic Compounds ◽

Nematode Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽

C Elegans ◽

Beneficial Effects ◽

Age Related ◽

Anti Oxidant ◽

Main Model

Polyphenols constitute a group of compounds that have been highly investigated for their beneficial effects against various pathologic and non-pathologic conditions and diseases. Among their multi-faceted properties, their anti-oxidant potential nominates them as ideal protective candidates for conditions characterized by elevated levels of oxidative stress, including aging and age-related diseases. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is a multicellular model organism that is highly exploited in studies related to aging and age-associated pathologies. In this review, we will summarize studies where polyphenolic compounds have been tested for their anti-aging potential and their protective role against the progression of age-related diseases using C. elegans as their main model.

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Phosphoglycolate phosphatase homologs act as glycerol-3-phosphate phosphatase to control stress and healthspan in C. elegans

Nature Communications ◽

10.1038/s41467-021-27803-6 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Elite Possik ◽

Clémence Schmitt ◽

Anfal Al-Mass ◽

Ying Bai ◽

Laurence Côté ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Calorie Restriction ◽

Mammalian Cells ◽

Healthy Aging ◽

Model Organism ◽

Metabolic Stress ◽

Clinical Importance ◽

C Elegans ◽

Beneficial Effects ◽

Age Related

AbstractMetabolic stress due to nutrient excess and lipid accumulation is at the root of many age-associated disorders and the identification of therapeutic targets that mimic the beneficial effects of calorie restriction has clinical importance. Here, using C. elegans as a model organism, we study the roles of a recently discovered enzyme at the heart of metabolism in mammalian cells, glycerol-3-phosphate phosphatase (G3PP) (gene name Pgp) that hydrolyzes glucose-derived glycerol-3-phosphate to glycerol. We identify three Pgp homologues in C. elegans (pgph) and demonstrate in vivo that their protein products have G3PP activity, essential for glycerol synthesis. We demonstrate that PGPH/G3PP regulates the adaptation to various stresses, in particular hyperosmolarity and glucotoxicity. Enhanced G3PP activity reduces fat accumulation, promotes healthy aging and acts as a calorie restriction mimetic at normal food intake without altering fertility. Thus, PGP/G3PP can be considered as a target for age-related metabolic disorders.

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OLIVE OIL POLYPHENOLS SHOW BENEFICIAL EFFECTS IN TWO C. ELEGANS PARKINSON MODELS

Pathophysiology ◽

10.1016/j.pathophys.2018.07.098 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 25 (3) ◽

pp. 203

Author(s):

Gabriele Di Rosa ◽

Nadine Saul ◽

Christian Schmitz-Linneweber ◽

Vittorio Calabrese

Keyword(s):

Olive Oil ◽

C Elegans ◽

Beneficial Effects

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Health and longevity studies in C. elegans: the “healthy worm database” reveals strengths, weaknesses and gaps of test compound-based studies

Biogerontology ◽

10.1007/s10522-021-09913-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (2) ◽

pp. 215-236

Author(s):

Nadine Saul ◽

Steffen Möller ◽

Francesca Cirulli ◽

Alessandra Berry ◽

Walter Luyten ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Healthy Aging ◽

Model Organism ◽

Research Field ◽

Aging Research ◽

Genetic Manipulations ◽

C Elegans ◽

Starting Point ◽

Health Related ◽

Phenotype Measurement ◽

Or Gene

AbstractSeveral biogerontology databases exist that focus on genetic or gene expression data linked to health as well as survival, subsequent to compound treatments or genetic manipulations in animal models. However, none of these has yet collected experimental results of compound-related health changes. Since quality of life is often regarded as more valuable than length of life, we aim to fill this gap with the “Healthy Worm Database” (http://healthy-worm-database.eu). Literature describing health-related compound studies in the aging model Caenorhabditis elegans was screened, and data for 440 compounds collected. The database considers 189 publications describing 89 different phenotypes measured in 2995 different conditions. Besides enabling a targeted search for promising compounds for further investigations, this database also offers insights into the research field of studies on healthy aging based on a frequently used model organism. Some weaknesses of C. elegans-based aging studies, like underrepresented phenotypes, especially concerning cognitive functions, as well as the convenience-based use of young worms as the starting point for compound treatment or phenotype measurement are discussed. In conclusion, the database provides an anchor for the search for compounds affecting health, with a link to public databases, and it further highlights some potential shortcomings in current aging research.

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Wormicloud: a new text summarization tool based on word clouds to explore the C. elegans literature

Database ◽

10.1093/database/baab015 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 ◽

Author(s):

Valerio Arnaboldi ◽

Jaehyoung Cho ◽

Paul W Sternberg

Keyword(s):

Search Engines ◽

Complex Structure ◽

Model Organism ◽

Gene Interaction ◽

Relevant Information ◽

Biomedical Literature ◽

C Elegans ◽

Word Clouds ◽

Scientific Papers ◽

Model Organism Databases

Abstract Finding relevant information from newly published scientific papers is becoming increasingly difficult due to the pace at which articles are published every year as well as the increasing amount of information per paper. Biocuration and model organism databases provide a map for researchers to navigate through the complex structure of the biomedical literature by distilling knowledge into curated and standardized information. In addition, scientific search engines such as PubMed and text-mining tools such as Textpresso allow researchers to easily search for specific biological aspects from newly published papers, facilitating knowledge transfer. However, digesting the information returned by these systems—often a large number of documents—still requires considerable effort. In this paper, we present Wormicloud, a new tool that summarizes scientific articles in a graphical way through word clouds. This tool is aimed at facilitating the discovery of new experimental results not yet curated by model organism databases and is designed for both researchers and biocurators. Wormicloud is customized for the Caenorhabditis elegans literature and provides several advantages over existing solutions, including being able to perform full-text searches through Textpresso, which provides more accurate results than other existing literature search engines. Wormicloud is integrated through direct links from gene interaction pages in WormBase. Additionally, it allows analysis on the gene sets obtained from literature searches with other WormBase tools such as SimpleMine and Gene Set Enrichment. Database URL: https://wormicloud.textpressolab.com

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Behavioral Effects of Volatile Anesthetics in Caenorhabditis elegans

Anesthesiology ◽

10.1097/00000542-199610000-00027 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 85 (4) ◽

pp. 901-912 ◽

Cited By ~ 38

Author(s):

Michael C. Crowder ◽

Laynie D. Shebester ◽

Tim Schedl

Keyword(s):

Nervous System ◽

Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽

Time Course ◽

Model Organism ◽

Volatile Anesthetic ◽

Volatile Anesthetics ◽

Effective Concentration ◽

Forward Genetics ◽

C Elegans ◽

Median Effective Concentration

Background The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans offers many advantages as a model organism for studying volatile anesthetic actions. It has a simple, well-understood nervous system; it allows the researcher to do forward genetics; and its genome will soon be completely sequenced. C. elegans is immobilized by volatile anesthetics only at high concentrations and with an unusually slow time course. Here other behavioral dysfunctions are considered as anesthetic endpoints in C. elegans. Methods The potency of halothane for disrupting eight different behaviors was determined by logistic regression of concentration and response data. Other volatile anesthetics were also tested for some behaviors. Established protocols were used for behavioral endpoints that, except for pharyngeal pumping, were set as complete disruption of the behavior. Time courses were measured for rapid behaviors. Recovery from exposure to 1 or 4 vol% halothane was determined for mating, chemotaxis, and gross movement. All experiments were performed at 20 to 22 degrees C. Results The median effective concentration values for halothane inhibition of mating (0.30 vol%-0.21 mM), chemotaxis (0.34 vol%-0.24 mM), and coordinated movement (0.32 vol% - 0.23 mM) were similar to the human minimum alveolar concentration (MAC; 0.21 mM). In contrast, halothane produced immobility with a median effective concentration of 3.65 vol% (2.6 mM). Other behaviors had intermediate sensitivities. Halothane's effects reached steady-state in 10 min for all behaviors tested except immobility, which required 2 h. Recovery was complete after exposure to 1 vol% halothane but was significantly reduced after exposure to immobilizing concentrations. Conclusions Volatile anesthetics selectively disrupt C. elegans behavior. The potency, time course, and recovery characteristics of halothane's effects on three behaviors are similar to its anesthetic properties in vertebrates. The affected nervous system molecules may express structural motifs similar to those on vertebrate anesthetic targets.

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