A Cultivated Form of a Red Seaweed (Chondrus crispus), Suppresses β-Amyloid-Induced Paralysis in Caenorhabditis elegans

We report here the protective effects of a methanol extract from a cultivated strain of the red seaweed, Chondrus crispus, against -amyloid-induced toxicity, in a transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans, expressing human A(1-42) gene. The methanol extract of C. crispus (CCE), delayed -amyloid-induced paralysis, whereas the water extract (CCW) was not effective. The CCE treatment did not affect the transcript abundance of amy1; however, Western blot analysis revealed a significant decrease of A species, as compared to untreated worms. The transcript abundance of stress response genes; sod3, hsp16.2 and skn1 increased in CCE-treated worms. Bioassay guided fractionation of the CCE yielded a fraction enriched in monogalactosyl diacylglycerols (MGDG) that significantly delayed the onset of -amyloid-induced paralysis. Taken together, these results suggested that the cultivated strain of C. crispus, whilst providing dietary nutritional value, may also have significant protective effects against -amyloid-induced toxicity in C. elegans, partly through reduced -amyloid species, up-regulation of stress induced genes and reduced accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS).