The Effects of Hempseed Meal Intake and Linoleic Acid on Drosophila Models of Neurodegenerative Diseases and Hypercholesterolemia

Abstract

Hempseed is rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which have potential as therapeutic compounds for the treatment of neurodegenerative and cardiovascular disease. However, the effect of hempseed meal (HSM) intake on the animal models of these diseases has yet to be elucidated. In this study, we assessed the effects of the intake of HSM and PUFAs on oxidative stress, cytotoxicity and neurological phenotypes, and cholesterol uptake, using Drosophila models. HSM intake was shown to reduce H 2 O 2 toxicity markedly, indicating that HSM exerts a profound antioxidant effect. Meanwhile, intake of HSM, as well as linoleic or linolenic acids (major PUFA components of HSM) was shown to ameliorate Aβ42-induced eye degeneration, thus suggesting that these compounds exert a protective effect against Aβ42 cytotoxicity. On the contrary, locomotion and longevity in the Parkinson's disease model and eye degeneration in the Huntington's disease model were unaffected by HSM feeding. Additionally, intake of HSM or linoleic acid was shown to reduce cholesterol uptake significantly. Moreover, linoleic acid intake has been shown to delay pupariation, and cholesterol feeding rescued the linoleic acid-induced larval growth delay, thereby indicating that linoleic acid acts antagonistically with cholesterol during larval growth. In conclusion, our results indicate that HSM and linoleic acid exert inhibitory effects on both Aβ42 cytotoxicity and cholesterol uptake, and are potential candidates for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and cardiovascular disease.

The Seed of Industrial Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.): Nutritional Quality and Potential Functionality for Human Health and Nutrition

“…The ability of the dietary hempseeds supplementation to reduce the dietary cholesterol uptake in the presence of an enriched-cholesterol diet, was observed also by Lee and co-workers [ 134 ] in Drosophila melanogaster and was attributed to the ability of some hempseed components, PUFAs LA and ALA in primis , to down-regulate the expression of the Niemann-Pick C1-Like 1 (NPC1L1) gene, coding for a key intestinal cholesterol absorption protein. By contrast, Prociuk and colleagues [ 135 ] found that 8 weeks of 10% hempseeds supplementation of a cholesterol-enriched diet in albino New Zealand rabbits did not decrease the cholesterol plasma level but led to an approximately 12-fold increase in the plasma GLA level, resulting in a normalization of the platelet aggregation.…”

High-throughput metabolomics and ingenuity pathway approach reveals the pharmacological effect and targets of Ginsenoside Rg1 in Alzheimer’s disease mice

“…Linoleic acid, 9(10)-EpOME and DHA were involved in linoleic acid metabolism in AD. Some studied were suggested that linoleic acid as a polyunsaturated essential fatty acids with neuroprotective activity could hold back the uptake of cholesterol and the cytotoxicity of Aβ42 in drosophila model of AD 32,33 . The increased accumulation of Aβ induces the production of free radicals, which resulting in the increase of lipid peroxidation in the brain.…”

Tribolium castaneum as a whole‐animal screening system for the detection and characterization of neuroprotective substances

“…Hempseed flour reduced the impact of paraquat on climbing ability and the duration of tonic immobility in T. castaneum . Hempseed flour was shown to act as an antioxidant in a fruit fly PD model, although no beneficial effects on the locomotion phenotype were observed (Lee et al, ). Gou‐teng tea also reduced the impact of paraquat on climbing ability and the duration of tonic immobility.…”