Document Type

Thesis

Date of Degree Completion

Spring 2011

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science

Department

Chemistry

Committee Chair

Dr. Carin Thomas, Department of Chemistry

Second Committee Member

Dr. Lucinda Carnell, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences

Third Committee Member

Dr. Audrey D. Huerta, Director Science Honors Research Program

Abstract

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by loss of dopamine (DA) containing neurons in the substantia nigra of the brain. Though the cellular pathways that lead to PD are varied and not well understood, elevated levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inhibition of the mitochondrial electron transport chain enzyme complex I have been associated with PD pathogenesis. Environmental factors such as the plasticizers bisphenol A (BPA) and di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) may also be involved in PD pathogenesis. In this research, three strains of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), a wild-type N2 strain, a ROS-sensitive nnt-1 mutant, and a UA57 strain expressing the green fluorescent protein in dopamine neurons. were used to test the toxicity of BPA and DEHP at chronic exposure levels of 10 to 1000 ppm. Worm embryos were grown on nematode growth media containing BP A and DEHP to adulthood and tested for physiological function and degeneration of DA neurons. Developmental studies showed that BP A exposure levels at 250 ppm and above slowed development in both the wild-type and the nnt-1 mutant, while DEHP exposure did not. No difference was observed in the pharyngeal pumping rates suggesting normal neuromuscular function and indicates that decreased feeding is not responsible for the development delays. Chronic DEHP exposure enhanced the degeneration of DA neurons observed in older worms while BP A had minimal effects. This suggests that DEHP may play a role in producing cell damage possibly through ROS production.

Comments

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