Simone Poddighe, Francescaelena De Rose, Roberto Marotta, Roberta Ruffilli, Maura Fanti, Pietro Paolo Secci, Maria Cristina Mostallino, Maria Dolores Setzu, Maria Antonietta Zuncheddu, Ignazio Collu, Paolo Solla, Francesco Marrosu, Sanjay Kasture, Elio Acquas, Anna Liscia
The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster (Dm) mutant for PTEN-induced putative kinase 1 (PINK1B9) gene is a powerful tool to investigate physiopathology of Parkinson's disease (PD). Using PINK1B9 mutant Dm we sought to explore the effects of Mucuna pruriens methanolic extract (Mpe), a L-Dopa-containing herbal remedy of PD. The effects of Mpe on PINK1B9 mutants, supplied with standard diet to larvae and adults, were assayed on 3-6 (I), 10-15 (II) and 20-25 (III) days old flies. Mpe 0.1% significantly extended lifespan of PINK1B9 and fully rescued olfactory response to 1-hexanol and improved climbing behavior of PINK1B9 of all ages; in contrast, L-Dopa (0...
2014: PloS One