Estudios científicos
Grape skin extract improves muscle function and extends lifespan of a Drosophila model of Parkinson's disease through activation of mitophagy
Abstract:
Recent studies suggest that moderate red wine consumption may confer several health benefits, including protection against heart disease, certain cancers and multiple age-related neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. These health benefits are assumed to come from a compound from grape skin called resveratrol, which has been proposed to be a pro-longevity agent. Whether resveratrol accounts for all the health benefits of grape-derived nutrients and the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of such nutrients are not well understood. Here we investigated the effect of supplementing grape skin extract (GSE) left from red wine-production process to the daily food intake of a Drosophila melanogaster model of Parkinson's disease (PD) associated with PTEN-induced kinase 1 (PINK1) loss-of-function. Consumption of GSE resulted in rescue of mitochondrial morphological defects, improvement of indirect flight muscle function and health-span, and prolonged lifespan of the PINK1 mutant flies. Further biochemical and genetic studies revealed a link between activation of mitophagy and the beneficial effects of GSE. Our results indicate that GSE can promote autophagy activation, preserve mitochondria function, and protect against PD pathogenesis, and that the beneficial effect of GSE in mitophagy activation is not accounted for by resveratrol alone.
Comentarios divulgativos:
El consumo moderado de vino tinto se ha relacionado con diversos efectos sobre la salud, incluido la mejora de enfermedades neurológicas relacionadas con la edad como la enfermedad de Párkinson. El compuesto relacionado principalmente con estos efectos es el resveratrol, sin embargo aún no se dispone de evidencia científica sólida que lo corrobore.
En este estudio los investigadores utilizan un extracto de piel de uva, rico en resveratrol, y con él alimentan a un modelo animal de la enfermedad de Párkinson, para evaluar su efecto. Los resultados que obtuvieron indicaron que mejoraba la salud del animal, a nivel de la función muscular y aumentaba su esperanza de vida. También obtuvieron información sobre cómo podía estar ocurriendo. Por lo que, la suplementación con extracto de piel de uva parecía ser positiva, aunque el contenido en resveratrol podría no ser el único responsable.