Huang G.S., Chang K-M, Chen Y-C, Yeh L-G
National Chiao Tung University, TW
Keywords: caenorhabditis elegans, drug screening, lifespan
The progress in identifying drugs that extend lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans has been slow partly due to the tedious and labor-intensive nature of drug screening. We labeled C. elegans by mixing quantum dots, FITC, or rhodamine with Escherichia coli as food source. The parental nematode was distinguished from its progeny by fluorescence. The intensity of emitted fluorescence by quantum dots remained 90 % of the initial intensity for more than 3 weeks, while fluorescence emitted by FITC and rhodamine decayed quickly and dropped below 60 % on the second week (Figure 1). The application of all fluorescence dye did not affect lifespan of C. elegans. We applied this quantum dots labeling system to survey 9 different compounds for their effect on the extension of lifespan (Figure 2). In particular, quercetin prolonged lifespan 5 days, while cappilarisin shortened lifespan 8 days compared to normal control. The fast scoring for the potency of compound in affecting lifespan of nematode demonstrated the utility of this protocol.
Journal: TechConnect Briefs
Volume: 2, Technical Proceedings of the 2007 NSTI Nanotechnology Conference and Trade Show, Volume 2
Published: May 20, 2007
Pages: 255 - 258
Industry sectors: Advanced Materials & Manufacturing | Medical & Biotech
Topics: Biomaterials, Materials Characterization & Imaging
ISBN: 1-4200-6183-6