A study on Neuroprotective potential of in vitro and field tissues of Withania somnifera using Caenorhabditis elegans model

Abstract

Withania somnifera is a prevalent medicinal herb used all over the world as a newlinedomestic remedy for addressing several age-related ailments. The plant is also one of newline32 medicinal plants that have been ranked as priority medicinal plants by the National newlineMedicinal Plant Board (NMPB). Ayurveda refers the field grown W. somnifera roots as newlinea Rasayana medication (Rejuvenator). It has been used as the major ingredient in a newlinevariety of formulations to help slow down the aging process, cope with stress, and be newlinean excellent neuroprotectant. However, the quality and quantity of traditionally newlinecultivated plants present a significant obstacle to their utilization in herbal newlineformulations. This study aims to demonstrate that in vitro shoot tissues of W. newlinesomnifera could be used as an alternative and be as bioactive as roots grown in the newlinefield. The HPTLC quantification of major withanolides and GC-MS profiling of newlinemetabolites revealed that the pharmacological actives of IS (in vitro shoot) showed the newlineoverall similar metabolite profile as in FR (field grown roots). As measured by DPPH newlineradical scavenging activity, the antioxidant potential of in vitro shoots (IS) was also newlinehigher than that of field grown tissues (FR and FS) and in vitro roots (IR). The animal newlinemodel study in Caenorhabditis elegans presented numerous lines of evidence newlineregarding the effectiveness of the IS on the health and life expectancy over the FR, IR newlineand FS. Along with this, the study compares the molecular level mechanisms newlineunderlying the beneficial effects of FR, IR, FS and IS supplementation by using newlinegene-specific mutants. The efficacy of W. somnifera extracts to prevent and#945;-synuclein newlineaggregation, its associated pathologies, and its capability for neuroprotection were newlinestudied in Parkinson s disease-modeled worms. The finding of this study highlighted newlinethat IS is equally bioactive as traditionally used FR. Moreover, the IS extracts newlineefficiently prolongs the lifespan, heath span and stress resistance via insulin/insulinlike newlinegrowth factor-1 (IGF-1) signaling (IIS) and mitochon