Abstract
Parkinson’s disease is a debilitating neurodegenerative disorder marked by both mobility and mental impairments caused by a progressive loss of dopamine producing neurons in the brain. While the reason these cells die is poorly understood, oxidative damage appears to play a critical role in disease progression. It is the goal of this study to investigate the activity of dendritic polyphenols, a type of synthetic antioxidant, in an animal model of Parkinson’s disease. In order to accomplish this goal, Drosophila melanogaster, or fruit flies, are treated with paraquat to elicit the disease phenotype via oxidative damage. The control for the drug feeding experiments is propyl gallate, a natural antioxidant shown to have reparative effects against Parkinson’s disease. If the dendritic polyphenols have biological activity by decreasing oxidative damage caused by paraquat, we expect to see an increase in lifespan.
| Original language | English |
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| State | Published - Mar 24 2012 |
| Event | University of Toledo Graduate Student Association Third Annual Midwest Graduate Research Symposium (MGRS) - Toledo, OH Duration: Mar 24 2012 → Mar 24 2012 |
Conference
| Conference | University of Toledo Graduate Student Association Third Annual Midwest Graduate Research Symposium (MGRS) |
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| Period | 03/24/12 → 03/24/12 |