Activity of caffeic acid phenethyl ester in Caenorhabditis elegans.

ABSTRACT: AIM:Caffeic acid (3,4-dihydroxycinnamic acid) phenethyl ester (CAPE), the major constituent of propolis, is able to increase the survival of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans after infection with the fungal pathogen Candida albicans. RESULTS:CAPE increases the expression of several antimicrobial proteins involved in the immune response to C. albicans. Structural derivatives of CAPE were synthesized to identify structure-activity relationships and decrease metabolic liability, ultimately leading to a compound that has similar efficacy, but increased in vivo stability. The CED-10(Rac-1)/PAK1 pathway was essential for immunomodulation by CAPE and was a critical component involved in the immune response to fungal pathogens. CONCLUSION:Caenorhabditis elegans is an efficient heterologous host to evaluate immunomodulatory compounds and identify components of the pathway(s) involved in the mode of action of compounds.

SUBMITTER: Coleman JJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6161127 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature