Anti-Parkinson Effect of Methanolic Extract of Ribes fasciculatum in C. elegans

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a multifactorial neurodegenerative disorder driven by the complex interplay of oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, dysregulated dopamine metabolism, and α-synuclein aggregation. Despite extensive efforts, effective pharmacological interventions are still lacking that can target and regulate these pathological factors to cure PD. In this study, we investigated the neuroprotective potential of the Ribes fasciculatum methanolic extract (MRF) in Caenorhabditis elegans PD model. MRF treatment significantly attenuated dopaminergic neuronal loss and improved locomotor function in both wild-type worms exposed to MPP⁺ and cat-2-overexpressing mutants. In addition, MRF reduced intracellular ROS accumulation and enhanced survival under MPP⁺-induced oxidative stress condition. Furthermore, it reduced α-synuclein aggregation and oligomer formation in NL5901 transgenic worms, suggesting the inhibition of proteotoxicity. These findings indicate that MRF exerts multi-target protective effects by concurrently modulating redox balance, protein homeostasis, and mitochondrial function. The findings underscore the therapeutic promise of MRF as a multifaceted modulator that can address the intricate pathophysiology of PD.