Evaluating neuroprotective effects in a Drosophila model of Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease affecting around 0.8% of the global population with no cure to date.PD is characterised by the accumulation of Lewy bodies (LBs), which are caused by the aggregation of incorrectly folded α-synuclein (SNCA).Another form of PD manifestation is characterised by the loss of function of parkin, which encodes an E3-ubiquitin ligase.Despite extensive research, the cause of the onset and progression of PD remains unknown, and current therapeutics mainly help manage the disease.An alternative line of treatment can be useful.In the present study, we have employed two different genetic models of Drosophila UAS-SNCA and UAS-Parkin RNAi to validate the neuroprotective effects of a mercury-based organo-metallic ayurvedic drug Ras-sindoor (RS).Our data indicate that the characteristic locomotory dysfunction phenotype of PD is alleviated upon administration of the RS.These flies also exhibit reduced transcript levels of initiator caspase, Death Regulator Nedd2-like caspase, resulting in reduced cell death of neurons.Additionally, RS-fed flies exhibit enhanced survival.The present studies thus highlight the importance of RS as a possible treatment drug for neurodegeneration mediated by PD.