JERSEY SHORE Effects of Resveratrol on Myelination and Oxidative Stress in Leukoencephalopathy

Overview

Leukoencephalopathy with Brainstem and Spinal Cord Involvement and Lactate Elevation (LBSL) affects the white matter of the central nervous system, and there are about 100 documented cases in history. LBSL is caused by a mutation in the DARS2 gene, which results in a chain effect of abnormal activities that lead to a myelin deficiency as well as oxidative stress in mitochondria. While there are therapy treatments that reduce the severity of LBSL, there is no cure. Resveratrol, a common supplement, could aid the mitochondria in energy production, meaning that it could potentially promote remyelination in LBSL. Resveratrol is also an antioxidant, so it could reduce the oxidative stress induced by LBSL. Two gene expression data sets were utilized: a gene expression model of LBSL and a gene expression model of myelination after treating cells with resveratrol. Analysis of these two datasets suggested resveratrol as a good candidate for treatment for LBSL. Interferon-gamma was also found to play a crucial role in modeling the effects of LBSL as well as treating LBSL with resveratrol. This model was then tested in-vitro, where Schwann cells (S42) were treated with Asp-AMS to induce demyelination and then treated with resveratrol to induce remyelination. When the myelin levels were tested, however, the results were the opposite of what was expected: resveratrol was actually shown to decrease the amount of myelin in the cells compared with the control, which would mean that it is actually not a good candidate for treating LBSL or other demyelinating diseases.

Competition history

• JSHS 2022 Category not listed

Resources

• National JSHS abstract book ↗

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