Perspectives on C. elegans models of human Parkinson’s Disease

Abstract

Caenorhabditis elegans is a 1 mm long nematode comprised of 959 cells in the adult hermaphrodite. Through transgenic injection, neurotoxin treatment, or isolation of mutants, this roundworm has been used as an animal model for studies of human Parkinson's disease (PD). The ability to genetically manipulate this animal, its short reproductive cycle and transparent body type have allowed it to be treated pharmacologically and toxicologically and interrogated for features of PD including loss of dopaminergic neurons, aggregation of α-synuclein protein, basal slowing responses to food, and lifespan. This short review aims to capture some of the recent studies on Caenorhabditis elegans PD models and highlight some aspects of absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion that make the worm a useful organism for studies in neurodegeneration.

The delta‐opioid receptor and Parkinson’s disease

“…The progression and development of scientific techniques and establishment of various models have become the driving force for the discovery of the etiology, pathogenic changes, and molecular mechanism of PD . In general, the pathogenesis of PD is the joint result of environment, gene, and aging factors.…”

“…The etiological factors for PD are complicated and may include chronic hypoxic/ischemic injury to the aged brain. Although the definite etiology of PD is not well defined, its major pathological changes have been identified as the dysfunction of basal ganglia due to reduced SNpc dopaminergic (DA) neurons and exhaustion of corpus striatum DA . At present, the primary therapeutic modalities for PD include dopaminergic medication (eg, levodopa [L‐dopa]) and surgical/electronic processes (eg, deep brain stimulation) through cell transplantation, while genetic and other therapies have been proposed .…”