Carqueja (Baccharis trimera) Protects against Oxidative Stress andβ-Amyloid-Induced Toxicity inCaenorhabditis elegans

摘要

Carqueja (Baccharis trimera) is a native plant found throughout South America. Several studies have shown that Carqueja has antioxidant activityin vitro, as well as anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, analgesic, antihepatotoxic, and antimutagenic properties. However, studies regarding its antioxidant potentialin vivoare limited. In this study, we usedCaenorhabditis elegansas a model to examine the antioxidant effects of a Carqueja hydroalcoholic extract (CHE) on stress resistance and lifespan and to investigate whether CHE has a protective effect in aC. elegansmodel for Alzheimer's disease. Here, we show for the first time, usingin vivoassays, that CHE treatment improved oxidative stress resistance by increasing survival rate and by reducing ROS levels under oxidative stress conditions independently of the stress-related signaling pathways (p38, JNK, and ERK) and transcription factors (SKN-1/Nrf and DAF-16/Foxo) tested here. CHE treatment also increased the defenses againstβ-amyloid toxicity inC. elegans, in part by increasing proteasome activity and the expression of two heat shock protein genes. Our findings suggest a potential neuroprotective use for Carqueja, supporting the idea that dietary antioxidants are a promising approach to boost the defensive systems against stress and neurodegeneration.