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  1. Fulltext Effect of the tocotrienol-rich fraction on the lifespan and oxidative biomarkers in Caenorhabditis elegans under oxidative stress
    Aan GJ, Zainudin MS, Karim NA, Ngah WZ
    Clinics (Sao Paulo), 2013 May;68(5):599-604.
    PMID: 23778402 DOI: 10.6061/clinics/2013(05)04
    OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to determine the effect of the tocotrienol-rich fraction on the lifespan and oxidative status of C. elegans under oxidative stress.

    METHOD: Lifespan was determined by counting the number of surviving nematodes daily under a dissecting microscope after treatment with hydrogen peroxide and the tocotrienol-rich fraction. The evaluated oxidative markers included lipofuscin, which was measured using a fluorescent microscope, and protein carbonyl and 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine, which were measured using commercially available kits.

    RESULTS: Hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress significantly decreased the mean lifespan of C. elegans, which was restored to that of the control by the tocotrienol-rich fraction when administered before or both before and after the hydrogen peroxide. The accumulation of the age marker lipofuscin, which increased with hydrogen peroxide exposure, was decreased with upon treatment with the tocotrienol-rich fraction (p<0.05). The level of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine significantly increased in the hydrogen peroxide-induced group relative to the control. Treatment with the tocotrienol-rich fraction before or after hydrogen peroxide induction also increased the level of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine relative to the control. However, neither hydrogen peroxide nor the tocotrienol-rich fraction treatment affected the protein carbonyl content of the nematodes.

    CONCLUSION: The tocotrienol-rich fraction restored the lifespan of oxidative stress-induced C. elegans and reduced the accumulation of lipofuscin but did not affect protein damage. In addition, DNA oxidation was increased.

    Matched MeSH terms: Caenorhabditis elegans/drug effects*; Caenorhabditis elegans/physiology
  2. Sodium carboxymethyl cellulose hydrogels containing reduced graphene oxide (rGO) as a functional antibiofilm wound dressing
    Ali NH, Amin MCIM, Ng SF
    J Biomater Sci Polym Ed, 2019 06;30(8):629-645.
    PMID: 30896336 DOI: 10.1080/09205063.2019.1595892
    Biofilms comprise bacteria attached to wound surfaces and are major contributors to non-healing wounds. It was found that the increased resistance of biofilms to antibiotics allows wound infections to persist chronically in spite of antibiotic therapy. In this study, the reduced form of graphene oxide (rGO) was explored as plausible antibiofilm agents. The rGO was synthesized via reducing the functional groups of GO. Then, rGO were characterized using zetasizer, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV-Vis spectroscopy and FESEM. The rGO were then formulated into sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (NaCMC) hydrogels to form rGO hydrogel and tested for antibiofilm activities in vitro using XTT test, and in vivo biofilm formation assay using nematodes C. elegans. Reduced GO hydrogel was successfully formed by reducing the functional groups of GO, and a reduction of up to 95% of functional groups was confirmed with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis. XTT tests confirmed that rGO hydrogels reduced biofilm formation by S. aureus (81-84%) and P. aeruginosa (50-62%). Fluorescence intensity also confirmed that rGO hydrogel can inhibit biofilm bacteria in C. elegans experiments. This study implied that rGO hydrogel is an effective antibiofilm agent for infected wounds.
    Matched MeSH terms: Caenorhabditis elegans/drug effects
  3. Caenorhabditis elegans-based analysis of Salmonella enterica
    Chai-Hoon, K., Jiun-Horng, S., Shiran, M.S., Son, R., Sabrina, S., Noor Zaleha, A.S., et al.
    International Food Research Journal, 2010;17(4):845-852.
    MyJurnal
    Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) have been widely used as an infection model for mammalian related pathogens with promising results. The bacterial factors required for virulence in non-mammalian host C. elegans play a role in mammalian systems. Previous reported that Salmonella found in vegetable and poultry meat could be potential health hazards to human. This study evaluated the pathogenicity of various serovars of Salmonella enterica (S. enterica) that recovered from local indigenous vegetables and poultry meat using C. elegans as a simple host model. Almost all S. enterica isolates were capable of colonizing the intestine of C. elegans, causing a significant reduction in the survival of nematodes. The colonization of Salmonella in C. elegans revealed that the ability of S. enterica in killing C. elegans correlates with its accumulation in the intestine to achieve full pathogenicity. Using this model, the virulence mechanisms of opportunistic pathogenic S. enterica were found to be not only relevant for the interactions of the bacteria with C. elegans but also with mammalian hosts including humans. Hence, C. elegans model could provide valuable insight into preliminary factors from the host that contributes to the environmental bacterial pathogenesis scenario.
    Matched MeSH terms: Caenorhabditis elegans
  4. Identification of dual active sites in Caenorhabditis elegans GANA-1 protein: an ortholog of the human α-GAL a and α-NAGA enzymes
    Cheong CSY, Khan SU, Ahmed N, Narayanan K
    J Biomol Struct Dyn, 2023 Jul;41(11):5261-5276.
    PMID: 35694994 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2022.2084162
    Fabry disease (FD) is caused by a defective α-galactosidase A (α-GAL A) enzyme responsible for breaking down globotriaosylceramide (Gb3). To develop affordable therapeutics, more effort is needed to obtain insights into the underlying mechanism of FD and understanding human α-GAL A structure and function in related animal models. We adopted C. elegans as a model to elucidate the sequence and 3D structure of its GANA-1 enzyme and compared it to human α-GAL A. We constructed GANA-1 3D structure by homology modelling and validated the quality of the predicted GANA-1 structure, followed by computational docking of human ligands. The GANA-1 protein shared sequence similarities up to 42.1% with the human α-GAL A in silico and had dual active sites. GANA-1 homology modelling showed that 11 out of 13 amino acids in the first active site of GANA-1 protein overlapped with the human α-GAL A active site, indicating the prospect for substrate cross-reaction. Computational molecular docking using human ligands like Gb3 (first pocket), 4-nitrophenyl-α-D-galactopyranoside (second pocket), α-galactose (second pocket), and N-acetyl-D-galactosamine (second pocket) showed negative binding energy. This revealed that the ligands were able to bind within both GANA-1 active sites, mimicking the human α-GAL A and α-NAGA enzymes. We identified human compounds with adequate docking scores, predicting robust interactions with the GANA-1 active site. Our data suggested that the C. elegans GANA-1 enzyme may possess structural and functional similarities to human α-GAL A, including an intrinsic capability to metabolize Gb3 deposits.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
    Matched MeSH terms: Caenorhabditis elegans*
  5. Swietenia macrophylla extract promotes the ability of Caenorhabditis elegans to survive Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection
    Dharmalingam K, Tan BK, Mahmud MZ, Sedek SA, Majid MI, Kuah MK, et al.
    J Ethnopharmacol, 2012 Jan 31;139(2):657-63.
    PMID: 22193176 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2011.12.016
    Swietenia macrophylla or commonly known as big leaf mahogany, has been traditionally used as an antibacterial and antifungal agent.
    Matched MeSH terms: Caenorhabditis elegans/drug effects*; Caenorhabditis elegans/genetics; Caenorhabditis elegans/immunology; Caenorhabditis elegans/microbiology; Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins/genetics; Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins/metabolism
  6. Fulltext Curcumin rescues Caenorhabditis elegans from a Burkholderia pseudomallei infection
    Eng SA, Nathan S
    Front Microbiol, 2015;6:290.
    PMID: 25914690 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.00290
    The tropical pathogen Burkholderia pseudomallei requires long-term parenteral antimicrobial treatment to eradicate the pathogen from an infected patient. However, the development of antibiotic resistance is emerging as a threat to this form of treatment. To meet the need for alternative therapeutics, we proposed a screen of natural products for compounds that do not kill the pathogen, but in turn, abrogate bacterial virulence. We suggest that the use of molecules or compounds that are non-bactericidal (bacteriostatic) will reduce or abolish the development of resistance by the pathogen. In this study, we adopted the established Caenorhabditis elegans-B. pseudomallei infection model to screen a collection of natural products for any that are able to extend the survival of B. pseudomallei infected worms. Of the 42 natural products screened, only curcumin significantly improved worm survival following infection whilst not affecting bacterial growth. This suggested that curcumin promoted B. pseudomallei-infected worm survival independent of pathogen killing. To validate that the protective effect of curcumin was directed toward the pathogen, bacteria were treated with curcumin prior to infection. Worms fed with curcumin-treated bacteria survived with a significantly extended mean-time-to-death (p < 0.0001) compared to the untreated control. In in vitro assays, curcumin reduced the activity of known virulence factors (lipase and protease) and biofilm formation. To determine if other bacterial genes were also regulated in the presence of curcumin, a genome-wide transcriptome analysis was performed on curcumin-treated pathogen. A number of genes involved in iron acquisition and transport as well as genes encoding hypothetical proteins were induced in the presence of curcumin. Thus, we propose that curcumin may attenuate B. pseudomallei by modulating the expression of a number of bacterial proteins including lipase and protease as well as biofilm formation whilst concomitantly regulating iron transport and other proteins of unknown function.
    Matched MeSH terms: Caenorhabditis elegans
  7. Fulltext A Marine Actinomycete Rescues Caenorhabditis elegans from Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infection through Restitution of Lysozyme 7
    Fatin SN, Boon-Khai T, Shu-Chien AC, Khairuddean M, Al-Ashraf Abdullah A
    Front Microbiol, 2017;8:2267.
    PMID: 29201023 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.02267
    The resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to conventional antimicrobial treatment is a major scourge in healthcare. Therefore, it is crucial that novel potent anti-infectives are discovered. The aim of the present study is to screen marine actinomycetes for chemical entities capable of overcoming P. aeruginosa infection through mechanisms involving anti-virulence or host immunity activities. A total of 18 actinomycetes isolates were sampled from marine sediment of Songsong Island, Kedah, Malaysia. Upon confirming that the methanolic crude extract of these isolates do not display direct bactericidal activities, they were tested for capacity to rescue Caenorhabditis elegans infected with P. aeruginosa strain PA14. A hexane partition of the extract from one isolate, designated as Streptomyces sp. CCB-PSK207, could promote the survival of PA14 infected worms by more than 60%. Partial 16S sequence analysis on this isolate showed identity of 99.79% with Streptomyces sundarbansensis. This partition did not impair feeding behavior of C. elegans worms. Tested on PA14, the partition also did not affect bacterial growth or its ability to colonize host gut. The production of biofilm, protease, and pyocyanin in PA14 were uninterrupted, although there was an increase in elastase production. In lys-7::GFP worms, this partition was shown to induce the expression of lysozyme 7, an important innate immunity defense molecule that was repressed during PA14 infection. GC-MS analysis of the bioactive fraction of Streptomyces sp. CCB-PSK207 revealed the presence of methyl esters of branched saturated fatty acids. In conclusion, this is the first report of a marine actinomycete producing metabolites capable of rescuing C. elegans from PA14 through a lys-7 mediated activity.
    Matched MeSH terms: Caenorhabditis elegans
  8. In Vitro Efficacy of Aqueous and Methanol Extract of Cassia siamea Against the Motility of Caenorhabditis elegans
    Gagman HA, Him NAIIN, Ahmad H, Sulaiman SF, Zakaria R, Termizi FHM
    Trop Life Sci Res, 2020 Oct;31(3):145-159.
    PMID: 33214861 DOI: 10.21315/tlsr2020.31.3.10
    Gastrointestinal nematode infections can cause great losses in revenue due to decrease livestock production and animal death. The use of anthelmintic to control gastrointestinal nematode put a selection pressure on nematode populations which led to emergence of anthelmintic resistance. Because of that, this study was carried out to investigate the efficacy of aqueous and methanol extract of Cassia siamea against the motility of C. elegans Bristol N2 and C. elegans DA1316. Caenorhabditis elegans Bristol N2 is a susceptible strain and C. elegans DA1316 is an ivermectin resistant strain. In vitro bioassay of various concentrations of (0.2, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0 and 2.0 mg mL-1) aqueous and methanol extracts of C. siamea was conducted against the motility of L4 larvae of C. elegans Bristol N2 and C. elegans DA1316. The L4 larvae were treated with 0.02 μg mL-1 of ivermectin served as positive control while those in M9 solution served as negative control. The activity of the extracts was observed after 24 h and 48 h. A significant difference was recorded in the extract performance compared to control at (P < 0.001) after 48 h against the motility of the larvae of both strains. The methanol extracts inhibited the motility of C. elegans Bristol N2 by 86.7% as well as DA1316 up to 84.9% at 2.0 mg mL-1 after 48 h. The methanol extract was more efficient than aqueous extract (P < 0.05) against the motility of both strains of C. elegans. Cassia siamea may be used as a natural source of lead compounds for the development of alternative anthelmintic against parasitic nematodes as well ivermectin resistant strains of nematodes.
    Matched MeSH terms: Caenorhabditis elegans
  9. Pathogenicity and phenotypic analysis of sopB, sopD and pipD virulence factors in Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium and Salmonella enterica serovar Agona
    Khoo CH, Sim JH, Salleh NA, Cheah YK
    Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek, 2015 Jan;107(1):23-37.
    PMID: 25312847 DOI: 10.1007/s10482-014-0300-7
    Salmonella is an important food-borne pathogen causing disease in humans and animals worldwide. Salmonellosis may be caused by any one of over 2,500 serovars of Salmonella. Nonetheless, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium and Salmonella enterica serovar Agona are the second most prevalent serovars isolated from humans and livestock products respectively. Limited knowledge is available about the virulence mechanisms responsible for diarrheal disease caused by them. To investigate the contribution of sopB, sopD and pipD as virulence factors in intracellular infections and the uniqueness of these bacteria becoming far more prevalent than other serovars, the infection model of Caenorhabditis elegans and phenotypic microarray were used to characterize their mutants. The strains containing the mutation in sopB, sopD and pipD genes were constructed by using latest site-specific group II intron mutagenesis approach to reveal the pathogenicity of the virulence factors. Overall, we observed that the mutations in sopB, sopD and pipD genes of both serovars did not exhibit significant decrease in virulence towards the nematode. This may indicate that these virulence effectors may not be universal virulence factors involved in conserved innate immunity. There are significant phenotypic differences amongst strains carrying sopB, sopD and pipD gene mutations via the analysis of biochemical profiles of the bacteria. Interestingly, mutant strains displayed different susceptibility to chemical stressors from several distinct pharmacological and structural classes when compared to its isogenic parental strains. These metabolic and chemosensitivity assays also revealed multiple roles of Salmonella virulence factors in nutrient metabolism and antibiotic resistance.
    Matched MeSH terms: Caenorhabditis elegans/microbiology; Caenorhabditis elegans/physiology
  10. Fulltext Discovery of potential anti-infectives against Staphylococcus aureus using a Caenorhabditis elegans infection model
    Kong C, Yehye WA, Abd Rahman N, Tan MW, Nathan S
    BMC Complement Altern Med, 2014;14:4.
    PMID: 24393217 DOI: 10.1186/1472-6882-14-4
    The limited antibiotic options for effective control of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections has led to calls for new therapeutic approaches to combat this human pathogen. An alternative approach to control MRSA is through the use of anti-infective agents that selectively disrupt virulence-mediated pathways without affecting microbial cell viability or by modulating the host natural immune defenses to combat the pathogen.
    Matched MeSH terms: Caenorhabditis elegans/microbiology*
  11. Fulltext Suppression of Staphylococcus aureus biofilm formation and virulence by a benzimidazole derivative, UM-C162
    Kong C, Chee CF, Richter K, Thomas N, Abd Rahman N, Nathan S
    Sci Rep, 2018 02 09;8(1):2758.
    PMID: 29426873 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-21141-2
    Staphylococcus aureus is a major cause of nosocomial infections and secretes a diverse spectrum of virulence determinants as well as forms biofilm. The emergence of antibiotic-resistant S. aureus highlights the need for alternative forms of therapeutics other than conventional antibiotics. One route to meet this need is screening small molecule derivatives for potential anti-infective activity. Using a previously optimized C. elegans - S. aureus small molecule screen, we identified a benzimidazole derivative, UM-C162, which rescued nematodes from a S. aureus infection. UM-C162 prevented the formation of biofilm in a dose-dependent manner without interfering with bacterial viability. To examine the effect of UM-C162 on the expression of S. aureus virulence genes, a genome-wide transcriptome analysis was performed on UM-C162-treated pathogen. Our data indicated that the genes associated with biofilm formation, particularly those involved in bacterial attachment, were suppressed in UM-C162-treated bacteria. Additionally, a set of genes encoding vital S. aureus virulence factors were also down-regulated in the presence of UM-C162. Further biochemical analysis validated that UM-C162-mediated disruption of S. aureus hemolysins, proteases and clumping factors production. Collectively, our findings propose that UM-C162 is a promising compound that can be further developed as an anti-virulence agent to control S. aureus infections.
    Matched MeSH terms: Caenorhabditis elegans
  12. Enhancing a search for traditional medicinal plants with anthelmintic action by using wild type and stress reporter Caenorhabditis elegans strains as screening tools
    Kumarasingha R, Palombo EA, Bhave M, Yeo TC, Lim DS, Tu CL, et al.
    Int J Parasitol, 2014 Apr;44(5):291-8.
    PMID: 24583111 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2014.01.008
    Traditional healers in Sarawak, Malaysia, use plants such as Picria fel-terrae, Linariantha bicolor and Lansium domesticum to treat gastrointestinal infections. This study aimed to test whether their nematocidal activities could be confirmed in vitro using highly standardised Caenorhabditis elegans models. We applied eight different ethanol solubilised plant extracts and two commercial anthelmintic drugs to larval and adult stages of C. elegans in vitro. Seven C. elegans strains were evaluated, one wild type and six strains with GFP-tagged stress response pathways to help characterise and compare the pathways affected by plant extracts. Our in vitro screen confirmed that both of the commercial anthelmintic drugs and five of the eight traditionally used plant extracts had significant nematocidal activity against both larval and adult C. elegans. The most effective extracts were from P. fel-terrae. The plant extracts triggered different stress response pathways from the commercial anthelmintic drugs. This study showed that using traditional knowledge of plant medicinal properties in combination with a C. elegans in vitro screen provided a rapid and economical test with a high hit rate compared with the random screening of plants for nematocidal activities. The use of transgenic C. elegans strains may allow this approach to be refined further to investigate the mode of action of active extracts.
    Matched MeSH terms: Caenorhabditis elegans/drug effects*
  13. Fulltext Transcriptional alterations in Caenorhabditis elegans following exposure to an anthelmintic fraction of the plant Picria fel-terrae Lour
    Kumarasingha R, Young ND, Yeo TC, Lim DSL, Tu CL, Palombo EA, et al.
    Parasit Vectors, 2019 Apr 25;12(1):181.
    PMID: 31023350 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-019-3429-4
    BACKGROUND: Natural compounds from plants are known to provide a source of anthelmintic molecules. In previous studies, we have shown that plant extracts from the plant Picria fel-terrae Lour. and particular fractions thereof have activity against the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, causing quite pronounced stress responses in this nematode. We have also shown that a fraction, designated Pf-fraction 5, derived from this plant has a substantial adverse effect on this worm; however, nothing is known about the molecular processes affected in the worm. In the present study, we explored this aspect.

    RESULTS: Key biological processes linked to upregulated genes (n = 214) included 'response to endoplasmic reticulum stress' and 'lipid metabolism', and processes representing downregulated genes (n = 357) included 'DNA-conformation change' and 'cellular lipid metabolism'.

    CONCLUSIONS: Exposure of C. elegans to Pf-fraction 5 induces significant changes in the transcriptome. Gene ontology analysis suggests that Pf-fraction 5 induces endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondrial stress, and the changes in gene expression are either a direct or indirect consequence of this. Further work is required to assess specific responses to sub-fractions of Pf-fraction 5 in time-course experiments in C. elegans, to define the chemical(s) with potent anthelmintic properties, to attempt to unravel their mode(s) of action and to assess their selectivity against nematodes.

    Matched MeSH terms: Caenorhabditis elegans
  14. Fulltext Metabolic profiling and in vitro assessment of anthelmintic fractions of Picria fel-terrae Lour
    Kumarasingha R, Karpe AV, Preston S, Yeo TC, Lim DSL, Tu CL, et al.
    Int J Parasitol Drugs Drug Resist, 2016 12;6(3):171-178.
    PMID: 27639945 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpddr.2016.08.002
    Anthelmintic resistance is widespread in gastrointestinal nematode populations, such that there is a consistent need to search for new anthelmintics. However, the cost of screening for new compounds is high and has a very low success rate. Using the knowledge of traditional healers from Borneo Rainforests (Sarawak, Malaysia), we have previously shown that some traditional medicinal plants are a rich source of potential new anthelmintic drug candidates. In this study, Picria fel-terrae Lour. plant extract, which has previously shown promising anthelmintic activities, was fractionated via the use of a solid phase extraction cartridge and each isolated fraction was then tested on free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and the parasitic nematode Haemonchus contortus. We found that a single fraction was enriched for nematocidal activity, killing ≥90% of C. elegans adults and inhibiting the motility of exsheathed L3 of H. contortus, while having minimal cytotoxic activity in mammalian cell culture. Metabolic profiling and chemometric analysis of the effective fraction indicated medium chained fatty acids and phenolic acids were highly represented.
    Matched MeSH terms: Caenorhabditis elegans/drug effects*; Caenorhabditis elegans/chemistry
  15. Fulltext Complete killing of Caenorhabditis elegans by Burkholderia pseudomallei is dependent on prolonged direct association with the viable pathogen
    Lee SH, Ooi SK, Mahadi NM, Tan MW, Nathan S
    PLoS One, 2011;6(3):e16707.
    PMID: 21408228 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0016707
    Burkholderia pseudomallei is the causative agent of melioidosis, a disease of significant morbidity and mortality in both human and animals in endemic areas. Much remains to be known about the contributions of genotypic variations within the bacteria and the host, and environmental factors that lead to the manifestation of the clinical symptoms of melioidosis.
    Matched MeSH terms: Caenorhabditis elegans/microbiology*
  16. Fulltext Burkholderia pseudomallei suppresses Caenorhabditis elegans immunity by specific degradation of a GATA transcription factor
    Lee SH, Wong RR, Chin CY, Lim TY, Eng SA, Kong C, et al.
    Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 2013 Sep 10;110(37):15067-72.
    PMID: 23980181 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1311725110
    Burkholderia pseudomallei is a Gram-negative soil bacterium that infects both humans and animals. Although cell culture studies have revealed significant insights into factors contributing to virulence and host defense, the interactions between this pathogen and its intact host remain to be elucidated. To gain insights into the host defense responses to B. pseudomallei infection within an intact host, we analyzed the genome-wide transcriptome of infected Caenorhabditis elegans and identified ∼6% of the nematode genes that were significantly altered over a 12-h course of infection. An unexpected feature of the transcriptional response to B. pseudomallei was a progressive increase in the proportion of down-regulated genes, of which ELT-2 transcriptional targets were significantly enriched. ELT-2 is an intestinal GATA transcription factor with a conserved role in immune responses. We demonstrate that B. pseudomallei down-regulation of ELT-2 targets is associated with degradation of ELT-2 protein by the host ubiquitin-proteasome system. Degradation of ELT-2 requires the B. pseudomallei type III secretion system. Together, our studies using an intact host provide evidence for pathogen-mediated host immune suppression through the destruction of a host transcription factor.
    Matched MeSH terms: Caenorhabditis elegans/genetics; Caenorhabditis elegans/immunology*; Caenorhabditis elegans/microbiology*; Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins/genetics; Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins/metabolism*
  17. Black sea cucumber (Holothuria atra Jaeger, 1833) rescues Pseudomonas aeruginosa-infected Caenorhabditis elegans via reduction of pathogen virulence factors and enhancement of host immunity
    Lee WT, Tan BK, Eng SA, Yuen GC, Chan KL, Sim YK, et al.
    Food Funct, 2019 Sep 01;10(9):5759-5767.
    PMID: 31453615 DOI: 10.1039/c9fo01357a
    A strategy to circumvent the problem of multidrug resistant pathogens is the discovery of anti-infectives targeting bacterial virulence or host immunity. Black sea cucumber (Holothuria atra) is a tropical sea cucumber species traditionally consumed as a remedy for many ailments. There is a paucity of knowledge on the anti-infective capacity of H. atra and the underlying mechanisms involved. The objective of this study is to utilize the Caenorhabditis elegans-P. aeruginosa infection model to elucidate the anti-infective properties of H. atra. A bioactive H. atra extract and subsequently its fraction were shown to have the capability of promoting the survival of C. elegans during a customarily lethal P. aeruginosa infection. The same entities also attenuate the production of elastase, protease, pyocyanin and biofilm in P. aeruginosa. The treatment of infected transgenic lys-7::GFP worms with this H. atra fraction restores the repressed expression of the defense enzyme lys-7, indicating an improved host immunity. QTOF-LCMS analysis revealed the presence of aspidospermatidine, an indole alkaloid, and inosine in this fraction. Collectively, our findings show that H. atra possesses anti-infective properties against P. aeruginosa infection, by inhibiting pathogen virulence and, eventually, reinstating host lys-7 expression.
    Matched MeSH terms: Caenorhabditis elegans/drug effects; Caenorhabditis elegans/genetics; Caenorhabditis elegans/immunology; Caenorhabditis elegans/microbiology*
  18. Fulltext Multi-targeting aurones with monoamine oxidase and amyloid-beta inhibitory activities: Structure-activity relationship and translating multi-potency to neuroprotection
    Liew KF, Lee EH, Chan KL, Lee CY
    Biomed Pharmacother, 2019 Feb;110:118-128.
    PMID: 30466001 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2018.11.054
    Previously, a series of aurones bearing amine and carbamate functionalities was synthesized and evaluated for their cholinesterase inhibitory activity and drug-like attributes. In the present study, these aurones were evaluated for their multi-targeting properties in two Alzheimer's disease (AD)-related activities namely, monoamine oxidase (MAO) and amyloid-beta (Aβ) inhibition. Evaluation of the aurones for MAO inhibitory activity disclosed several potent selective inhibitors of MAO-B, particularly those with 6-methoxyl group attached at ring A. Of the different amine moieties attached as side chains, pyrrolidine-bearing aurones were prominent as represented by 2-2, the most potent inhibitor. Evaluation on the Aβ aggregation inhibition identified 4-3 as the best inhibitor with a percentage inhibition comparable to that of a known Aβ inhibitor curcumin. Examination on the neuroprotective ability of the more drug-like aurone 4-3 in two Caenorhabditis elegans neurodegeneration models showed 4-3 to protect the nematodes against both Aβ- and 6-hydroxydopamine-induced toxicities. These new activities further support 4-3 as a promising lead to develop the aurones as potential multipotent agents for neurodegenerative diseases.
    Matched MeSH terms: Caenorhabditis elegans; Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins/antagonists & inhibitors; Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins/metabolism
  19. Fulltext Nematode Peptides with Host-Directed Anti-inflammatory Activity Rescue Caenorhabditis elegans from a Burkholderia pseudomallei Infection
    Lim MP, Firdaus-Raih M, Nathan S
    Front Microbiol, 2016;7:1436.
    PMID: 27672387 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.01436
    Burkholderia pseudomallei, the causative agent of melioidosis, is among a growing number of bacterial pathogens that are increasingly antibiotic resistant. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been investigated as an alternative approach to treat microbial infections, as generally, there is a lower likelihood that a pathogen will develop resistance to AMPs. In this study, 36 candidate Caenorhabditis elegans genes that encode secreted peptides of <150 amino acids and previously shown to be overexpressed during infection by B. pseudomallei were identified from the expression profile of infected nematodes. RNA interference (RNAi)-based knockdown of 12/34 peptide-encoding genes resulted in enhanced nematode susceptibility to B. pseudomallei without affecting worm fitness. A microdilution test demonstrated that two peptides, NLP-31 and Y43C5A.3, exhibited anti-B. pseudomallei activity in a dose dependent manner on different pathogens. Time kill analysis proposed that these peptides were bacteriostatic against B. pseudomallei at concentrations up to 8× MIC90. The SYTOX green assay demonstrated that NLP-31 and Y43C5A.3 did not disrupt the B. pseudomallei membrane. Instead, gel retardation assays revealed that both peptides were able to bind to DNA and interfere with bacterial viability. In parallel, microscopic examination showed induction of cellular filamentation, a hallmark of DNA synthesis inhibition, of NLP-31 and Y43C5A.3 treated cells. In addition, the peptides also regulated the expression of inflammatory cytokines in B. pseudomallei infected macrophage cells. Collectively, these findings demonstrate the potential of NLP-31 and Y43C5A.3 as anti-B. pseudomallei peptides based on their function as immune modulators.
    Matched MeSH terms: Caenorhabditis elegans
  20. CYP35 family in Caenorhabditis elegans biological processes: fatty acid synthesis, xenobiotic metabolism, and stress responses
    Lim SYM, Alshagga M, Kong C, Alshawsh MA, Alshehade SA, Pan Y
    Arch Toxicol, 2022 12;96(12):3163-3174.
    PMID: 36175686 DOI: 10.1007/s00204-022-03382-3
    With more than 80 cytochrome P450 (CYP) encoding genes found in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), the cyp35 genes are one of the important genes involved in many biological processes such as fatty acid synthesis and storage, xenobiotic stress response, dauer and eggshell formation, and xenobiotic metabolism. The C. elegans CYP35 subfamily consisted of A, B, C, and D, which have the closest homolog to human CYP2 family. C. elegans homologs could answer part of the hunt for human disease genes. This review aims to provide an overview of CYP35 in C. elegans and their human homologs, to explore the roles of CYP35 in various C. elegans biological processes, and how the genes of cyp35 upregulation or downregulation are influenced by biological processes, upon exposure to xenobiotics or changes in diet and environment. The C. elegans CYP35 gene expression could be upregulated by heavy metals, pesticides, anti-parasitic and anti-chemotherapeutic agents, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), nanoparticles, drugs, and organic chemical compounds. Among the cyp35 genes, cyp-35A2 is involved in most of the C. elegans biological processes regulation. Further venture of cyp35 genes, the closest homolog of CYP2 which is the largest family of human CYPs, may have the power to locate cyps gene targets, discovery of novel therapeutic strategies, and possibly a successful medical regime to combat obesity, cancers, and cyps gene-related diseases.
    Matched MeSH terms: Caenorhabditis elegans/genetics
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