부산대학교 도서관

People knows that ethanol can be absorbed rapidly and induces lots of medical conditions, and thus, be a serious threat to human health. In this study, pharmacological action of Polygonum cuspidata against ethanol preference using nematode, called Caenorhabditis elegans. Under ethanol exposure, C. elegans exhibits fast adaptation to ethanol and develops ethanol preference. A normal C. elegans has tendency to avoid ethanol initially, however, after exposure to ethanol, it exhibits ethanol preference. Herein, methanolic extract of Polygonum cuspidata (PCM) significantly reduced ethanol preference of nematode in a dose-dependent manner. PCM also recovered the reduced physical growth and motility induced by ethanol exposure. Since dopamine and serotonin play a crucial role in developing ethanol preference, in this study ethanol preference was tested again using null mutants CB1112 which shows impaired tyrosine hydroxylase phenotype. Results noted that PCM failed to alter ethanol preference in this genetic background, indicating synthesis of dopamine and serotonin by tyrosine hydroxylase could be a target of PCM. In addition, PCM protected dopaminergic neuron in the gain of function mutant of tyrosine hydroxylase. These results confirmed the involvement of monoamine neurotransmitters in the PCM's pharmacological action. Furthermore translocation of DAF-16 to nucleus was elevated by PCM treatment which means PCM might regulate stress-related gene expressions. In conclusion, PCM can regulate the ethanol preference of nematode and therefore, be an attractive agent that can diminish the ethanol-induced side effects.