The Neuroprotective Effects of Ayurvedic Substances on β-amyloid Peptide Toxicity in Transgenic C. elegans

Overview

Accumulation of β-amyloid, a sticky peptide, has been associated with the induction of Alzheimer’s disease and Induced Body Myositis. The most common type of β-amyloid in Alzheimer’s is β-amyloid 42, which causes paralysis in C. elegans worms. The transgenic C. elegans strain CL4176 has been genetically engineered with the addition of the dvls27 transgene to express β-amyloid 42 in its muscle cells, making it ideal to model the toxicity of β-amyloid. The CL4176 and CL802 (control) strains of C. elegans worms were used in this experiment. The substances tested include alcohol, turmeric, and brahmi. Brahmi and turmeric are used in a branch of ancient Indian medicine called Ayurveda and have proven neuroprotective effects. Brahmi is a known choline acetyltransferase agonist, and turmeric is a known acetylcholinesterase antagonist. Alcohol is an NMDA antagonist meaning it indirectly decreases the amount of glutamate. Assays were performed for alcohol to determine an appropriate concentration to test on the worms. Every substance tested in the experiment decreased the paralyzation of the CL4176 worms, with brahmi having the most profound effect on β-amyloid 42 toxicity. The implications of this project are twofold. First, it proves the effectiveness of ancient Indian Ayurvedic medicine. Secondly, the data indicates that brahmi, turmeric, and alcohol are promising treatments for both Alzheimer’s disease and Induced Body Myositis.