The Effect of Vernonia anthelmintica extract on α-synuclein Overexpression and Lipid Content in C. elegans Strain NL5901 for Parkinson's disease and Diabetes Application

Despite Parkinson’s disease and diabetes being leading causes of death worldwide, there are still issues finding affordable treatments (Associated Press, 2022). The purpose of this experiment was to test Vernonia anthelmintica, a common folk medicine herb, as a protective agent against ɑ-synuclein and lipid buildup in C. elegans strain NL5901 which are genetically modified to contain YFP for ɑ-synuclein, a protein that can lead to Parkinson’s if misfolding occurs. A decrease in ɑ-synuclein should increase lipid levels, reducing insulin inefficiency and slowing the progression of diabetes (Stoker & Barker, 2020). It was hypothesized that V. anthelmintica would decrease ɑ-synuclein and increase lipid levels. E. coli OP50 was obtained and mixed with V. anthelmintica extract at various concentrations depending on the experimental group (0 and 5 µL), which served as a feeding solution for the C. elegans. After incubation for 48 hours, the C. elegans were washed with M9 buffer for the ɑ-synuclein trials and analyzed using a fluorescent microscope. Lipid trials were placed in a solution of Nile red, a lipophilic stain, and washed using PBST instead. An independent t-test found that a 5 µL concentration affected the fluorescence intensity of ɑ-synuclein (t(58) = -2.339, p = 0.024) and lipid content (t(15) = -16.131, p < .001), discovering significant differences between the control and 5 µL concentrations for both variables. The results of this experiment suggest that V. anthelmintica can be utilized as a treatment for type-2 diabetes and a potential cure for Parkinson’s disease.