Anti‐Parkinson's Disease Function of Dioscin‐Zein‐CMC Nanocomplex in Caenorhabditis elegans

We fabricated nanosized dioscin-loaded zein-CMC (DZC) complex comprising dioscin (glycoside saponin), zein (corn protein) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) through anti-solvent coprecipitation. The optimized ratio of zein to CMC for the homogenous complexation was 5:1, and DZC maintains its stability in a wide range of pH (3.0-8.0) and ionic strength (0-50 mM NaCl). No biological toxicity of DZC was found in C. elegans with normal lifespan and body size. Parkinson's disease is characterized by the loss of dopamine and dopaminergic neurons. In cat-2 mutant with defective biosynthesis of dopamine, DZC-fed animals showed intact dopamine behaviors including basal slowing response (∼60%) and alcohol avoidance (∼80%). Such dopamine promotional effects resulted from the enhanced expression/activation of dopamine transporter, DAT-1 in dopamine neurons. Taken together, DZC has a potential for preventing Parkinson's disease as an oral-administered drugs and supplements. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.