Impaired Sense of Smell in a Drosophila Parkinson’s Model

Abstract

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative disease characterized by the clinical triad: tremor, akinesia and rigidity. Several studies have suggested that PD patients show disturbances in olfaction at the earliest onset of the disease. The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is becoming a powerful model organism to study neurodegenerative diseases. We sought to use this system to explore olfactory dysfunction, if any, in PINK1 mutants, which is a model for PD. PINK1 mutants display many important diagnostic symptoms of the disease such as akinetic motor behavior. In the present study, we describe for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, neurophysiological and neuroanatomical results concerning the olfactory function in PINK1 mutant flies. Electroantennograms were recorded in response to synthetic and natural volatiles (essential oils) from groups of PINK1 mutant adults at three different time points in their life cycle: one from 3–5 day-old flies, from 15–20 and from 27–30 days. The results obtained were compared with the same age-groups of wild type flies. We found that mutant adults showed a decrease in the olfactory response to 1-hexanol, α-pinene and essential oil volatiles. This olfactory response in mutant adults decreased even more as the flies aged. Immunohistological analysis of the antennal lobes in these mutants revealed structural abnormalities, especially in the expression of Bruchpilot protein, a marker for synaptic active zones. The combination of electrophysiological and morphological results suggests that the altered synaptic organization may be due to a neurodegenerative process. Our results indicate that this model can be used as a tool for understanding PD pathogensis and pathophysiology. These results help to explore the potential of using olfaction as a means of monitoring PD progression and developing new treatments.

Differential effects of phytotherapic preparations in the hSOD1 Drosophila melanogaster model of ALS

“…This result is surprising since the same treatment well rescued climbing as well as muscle electrophysiological parameters. Moreover, Mpe well restored mitochondrial impairment in the olfactory bulbs of PD-PINK B9 mutants17. These results, that need further experiments to be fully understood, suggest that Wse and Mpe rescue mitochondrial damage probably through different molecular mechanisms.…”

“…Accordingly, a number of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s111213 and Parkinson’s diseases141516171819 as well as ALS, object of this study2021, are heuristically modeled in Drosophila . However, despite the significant progress in the knowledge of the biological bases of the degenerative diseases, the hope to find an efficient treatment has been, so far, elusive, as no treatment can halt their progression, with the partial exception of the antiglutamatergic Riluzole ® .…”

“…In this context, given the results obtained in two different Drosophila models of Parkinson disease (PD-LRRK2-LOF and PD-PINK1 B9 -LOF) with the application of two methanolic extracts of parts of the medicinal plants, Withania somnifera and Mucuna pruriens widely used in the Ayurvedic medicine171819222324 for their potential effects on treating many central nervous system disorders, we deemed to investigate their effects on ALS symptoms. In order to obtain experimental data, we proceed to set up a neurophysiological, biochemical and histological investigation using the hSOD1-GOF Drosophila model of ALS.…”

Opposite effects of 5-HT/AKH and octopamine on the crop contractions in adult Drosophila melanogaster: Evidence of a double brain-gut serotonergic circuitry

“…After pupal emergence, adults were separated and reared on a standard cornmeal-yeast-agar medium in controlled environmental conditions (24–25°C; 60% RH; 12L/12D h) [45]. All flies emerging within 24 h were considered as one cohort.…”

Radioprotective potential of Decalepis hamiltonii: A study on gamma radiation-induced oxidative stress and toxicity in Drosophila melanogaster

“…[2,3] It is being used as a model organism in various fields of biology. Lamb has shown that gamma radiation caused reduction in the life span of Drosophila.…”