Nutraceutical Screening in a Zebrafish Model of Muscular Dystrophy: Gingerol as a Possible Food Aid

Abstract

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), caused by mutations in the dystrophin gene, is an inherited neuromuscular disorder that causes loss of muscle mass and motor skills. In the era of genomic medicine, there is still no known cure for DMD. In clinical practice, there is a growing awareness of the possible importance of nutrition in neuromuscular diseases. This is mostly the result of patients’ or caregivers’ empirical reports of how active substances derived from food have led to improved muscle strength and, thus, better quality of life. In this report, we investigate several nutraceutical principles in the sapje strain of zebrafish, a validated model of DMD, in order to identify possible natural products that, if supplemented in the diet, might improve the quality of life of DMD patients. Gingerol, a constituent of fresh ginger, statistically increased the locomotion of mutant larvae and upregulated the expression of heme oxygenase 1, a target gene for therapy aimed at improving dystrophic symptoms. Although three other compounds showed a partial positive effect on locomotor and muscle structure phenotypes, our nutraceutical screening study lent preliminary support to the efficacy and safety only of gingerol. Gingerol could easily be proposed as a dietary supplement in DMD.

Beneficial immune-modulatory effects of the N-163 strain of Aureobasidium pullulans-produced 1,3-1,6 Beta glucans in young boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy: Results of an open-label, prospective, exploratory clinical study

“…In the current study, we focussed on a 1-3,1-6 beta glucan from the N-163 strain of the black yeast A. pullulans that has been reported to mitigate inflammation, evidenced by a decrease in anti-inflammatory markers and production of beneficial immuno-modulation [6][7][8]. The safety profile of N-163 beta glucan has been confirmed by the results.…”

Elaborate the Mechanism of Ancient Classic Prescriptions (Erzhi Formula) in Reversing GIOP by Network Pharmacology Coupled with Zebrafish Verification

“…Therefore, they can be used to construct many pathological models. For example, sleep deprivation model was induced by light stimulation [ 49 ], depression model was induced by reserpine [ 50 ], thrombus model was induced by phenylhydrazine (PHZ) [ 51 ], epilepsy model was induced by pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) [ 52 ], vascular insufficiency model was induced by tyrosine kinase inhibitor [ 53 ], vascular defect model was induced by axitinib [ 54 ], and sapje strain model was always used for muscle atrophy [ 55 ]. GCs are only recognized to induce osteoporosis and cannot be used to induce other diseases in zebrafish.…”

β-Glucans as Dietary Supplement to Improve Locomotion and Mitochondrial Respiration in a Model of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

“…Total RNA was extracted from larvae at 120 hpf using Quick RNA miniprep (Zymo Research, Irvine, USA) according to the manufacturer’s instruction. cDNA and qRT-PCR were performed as described in [ 21 ]. Relative expression levels of the gene were calculated using the 2 −ΔΔCt method [ 59 ].…”

“…Indeed, an important feature of DMD is a compromised bioenergetic status caused by a reduced capacity of OXPHOS in dystrophic mitochondria, as it has been constantly reported in the literature [ 18 ]. For these reasons, many antioxidant compounds such as Coenzyme Q10, resveratrol, melatonin, gingerol, and preparations of traditional Chinese medicine have been tested to counteract the negative effects of DMD [ 19 , 20 , 21 ]. The antioxidant action of resveratrol, natural polyphenol, significantly decreased the muscular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and ameliorated the pathology of mdx mice [ 20 ].…”