Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease which is still incurable. Sea cucumber-derived compounds have been reported to be promising candidate drugs for treating age-related neurological disorders. The present study evaluated the beneficial effects of the Holothuria leucospilota (H. leucospilota)-derived compound 3 isolated from ethyl acetate fraction (HLEA-P3) using Caenorhabditis elegans PD models. HLEA-P3 (1 to 50 µg/mL) restored the viability of dopaminergic neurons. Surprisingly, 5 and 25 µg/mL HLEA-P3 improved dopamine-dependent behaviors, reduced oxidative stress and prolonged lifespan of PD worms induced by neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA). Additionally, HLEA-P3 (5 to 50 µg/mL) decreased α-synuclein aggregation. Particularly, 5 and 25 µg/mL HLEA-P3 improved locomotion, reduced lipid accumulation and extended lifespan of transgenic C. elegans strain NL5901. Gene expression analysis revealed that treatment with 5 and 25 µg/mL HLEA-P3 could upregulate the genes encoding antioxidant enzymes (gst-4, gst-10 and gcs-1) and autophagic mediators (bec-1 and atg-7) and downregulate the fatty acid desaturase gene (fat-5). These findings explained the molecular mechanism of HLEA-P3-mediated protection against PD-like pathologies. The chemical characterization elucidated that HLEA-P3 is palmitic acid. Taken together, these findings revealed the anti-Parkinson effects of H. leucospilota-derived palmitic acid in 6-OHDA induced- and α-synuclein-based models of PD which might be useful in nutritional therapy for treating PD.

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Objective: This study investigated the frequency and types of 1) orientation of the deep peroneal nerve (DPN) and its branches relative to the dorsalis pedis artery (DPA) and the extensor hallucis longus tendon (EHLT) and 2) branching site and pattern of DPN at the distal area of leg and the proximal zone of the foot.Materials and Methods: One-hundred and sixty specimens from the lower extremities of 80 formalin-embalmed cadavers were investigated for anatomical position, orientation and the branching pattern of DPN by manual dissection, starting from the anterior side of lower extremity just proximal to ankle joint down to the area distal to inferior extensor retinaculum.Results: The most prevalent medial-to-lateral orientation of structures in the area anterior to ankle joints was the EHLT/DPA/DPN. Comparing DPA with the branching of DPN in the areas inside anterior tarsal tunnel (ATT) and distal to ATT, the most common type was an orientation of DPA that was lateral to both the DPN main trunk and its medial terminal branch. Regarding branching sites and patterns of DPN in the intermalleolar and ATT areas, nearly half of the studied specimens had DPN bifurcation at the intermalleolar level and more than half of the bifurcations were inside the ATT.Conclusion: This study establishes novel data regarding type variation and prevalence of DPN in areas of ankle and proximal part of foot in the Thai population which could be helpful in clinical practice.