Activity of caffeic acid phenethyl ester in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Future Med Chem
Authors
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.

Year of Publication
2016
Journal
Future Med Chem
Date Published
2016 Oct 14
ISSN
1756-8927
DOI
10.4155/fmc-2016-0085
PubMed ID
27739327
Links
Grant list
P01 AI083214 / AI / NIAID NIH HHS / United States