Targeting oxidative stress and monoamine imbalance: neuroprotective potential of Cereus jamacaru DC ethanolic extract in a Parkinson disease-like model in Drosophila melanogaster

Exposure to pesticides is a risk factor for developing Parkinson’s disease (PD). Recently, there has been an increase in research on natural products that can reduce this risk. The cactus Cereus jamacaru DC is found in South America, South Africa, and China. When consumed as food or juice, C. jamacaru exhibits medicinal properties with antitumor and cytoprotective effects on the gastrointestinal tract, kidneys, and heart, which are attributed to its high antioxidant content. However, its potential effect on diseases of the nervous system is unknown. The present study examined whether ethanolic extract from C. jamacaru might serve as a nutraceutical alternative against oxidative damage initiated by the pesticide rotenone using the Drosophila melanogaster model of PD. Initially, toxicological assays were performed with the extract added at 0.01–0.1 mg/g of food over 7 days. Locomotor activity, survival rate, and assays for nitric oxide, free Fe2 +, lipid peroxidation, total thiols, reactive oxygen species levels, cytotoxicity, and dopamine and serotonin levels were assessed. The rotenone-induced mortality rate was similar between sexes and was prevented by C. jamacaru extract at 0.075 mg/g of food. Rotenone-induced modifications in locomotor activity, survival rate, and head dopamine and serotonin levels, as well as biochemical parameters, were reversed by one or both concentrations of extract. Data demonstrated for the first time that ethanolic extract of C. jamacaru exerted systemic and neuroprotective effects against rotenone insults. These findings suggest the need for further pharmacological studies examining C. jamacaru as a potential therapeutic intervention for PD prevention or treatment.