A blueberry extract-supplemented diet rescues phenotypes in drosophila melanogaster models of parkinson disease

Abstract

Parkinson disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta. As a result, affected individuals have impaired motor function typically coupled with several non-motor symptoms that arise from extra-nigral damage. Mutations in the human α-synuclein (SNCA ) gene have been linked to heritable autosomal dominant PD and duplications of its gene locus result in a more severe early onset form of the disease. Post-mortem analysis of patient brains reveals increased levels of oxidative stress biomarkers in individuals with PD. I investigated the potential therapeutic effects of a diet high in antioxidants both in a Drosophila melanogaster model of PD and on α-synuclein-induced developmental defects of the neuron-rich eye. Longevity assays, climbing trials, and biometric analyses were performed to test the effects of blueberry extract (BBE) on several α-synuclein-induced phenotypes. My results suggest that a diet findings demonstrate that BBE counteracts PD-like phenotypes in an animal model of protein toxicity and suggest that dietary antioxidants may a alleviate some of the cellular stress caused by excess α-synuclein. Diets rich in sources of antioxidants, like blueberries, could become a useful tool in treating PD and other similar neurodegenerative disorders if this relationship is conserved in humans.