Evaluating The Potential Of Syzygium Cumini (L.) Skeels Leaf Extract For Parkinson's Disease Treatment On Drosophila Melanogaster Model

Abstract

Parkinson’s disease is a chronic neurodegenerative disease that currently has no appropriate treatment for a complete cure. The available approaches are mainly supportive therapies to manage its symptoms with attention being given to the use of antioxidant compounds as an adjuvant treatment. Syzygium cumini (L.) Skeels belongs to the Myrtaceae family, possessing high antioxidant properties commonly used for supporting the treatment of some diseases related to neurodegeneration. In this study, the effect of S. cumini leaf extract for Parkinson’s disease treatment was investigated by using dUCH (Drosophila ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase)-knockdown Drosophila model. The results showed that S. cumini leaf extract at the concentration of 1 mg/mL and 2 mg/mL could strongly ameliorate locomotor ability as well as decelerated disease progression in both larval and adult stages of dUCH-knockdown strain. The extract also reduced the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons induced by dUCH knockdown. Furthermore, the extract was considered safe since it not only had no adverse effects on fly development but also slightly increased the viability of infected flies. Taken together, these outcomes demonstrated that the extract effectively rescued Parkinson’s disease phenotypes on the fly model. This study would lay a foundation for further research to elucidate the mechanism of action of S. cumini leaf extract in Parkinson’s disease therapy.