Thermotolerance-based screening of Doronicum hakkiaricum extracts in C. elegans

Doronicum hakkiaricum is an endemic species from the Asteraceae family in Türkiye that remains largely unexplored in terms of pharmacological properties, despite the traditional medicinal use of its genus [ 1 ] [ 2 ]. This study aimed to evaluate the thermotolerance-modulating effects of D. hakkiaricum ethanolic extracts in Caenorhabditis elegans . Wild-type N2 C. elegans were exposed to four extract conditions (100% and 50% ethanol; each 100 μg/mL and 1000 μg/mL) under thermal stress at 35°C [ 3 ]. Survival was recorded at 20-minute intervals. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, log-rank test, and Fisher’s exact test with Bonferroni correction were used for statistical comparisons. All treatment groups showed a significant reduction in lifespan compared to controls. The most prominent decrease was observed with the 50% ethanolic extract at 1000 μg/mL (mean lifespan: 40.46±2.13 min), whereas the control group exhibited the highest thermotolerance (57.18±3.58 min). A non-linear dose-response relationship was observed, indicating that higher concentrations did not consistently lead to increased toxicity. Statistical analysis (p