title: Tasco®: a product of Ascophyllum nodosum enhances immune response of Caenorhabditis elegans against Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection.
abstract: The effects of Tasco®, a product made from the brown seaweed (Ascophyllum nodosum) were tested for the ability to protect Caenorhabditis elegans against Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. A water extract of Tasco® (TWE) reduced P. aeruginosa inflicted mortality in the nematode. The TWE, at a concentration of 300 µg/mL, offered the maximum protection and induced the expression of innate immune response genes viz.; zk6.7 (Lypases), lys-1 (Lysozyme), spp-1 (Saponin like protein), f28d1.3 (Thaumatin like protein), t20g5.7 (Matridin SK domain protein), abf-1 (Antibacterial protein) and f38a1.5 (Lectin family protein). Further, TWE treatment also affected a number of virulence components of the P. aeuroginosa and reduced its secreted virulence factors such as lipase, proteases and toxic metabolites; hydrogen cyanide and pyocyanin. Decreased virulence factors were associated with a significant reduction in expression of regulatory genes involved in quorum sensing, lasI, lasR, rhlI and rhlR. In conclusion, the TWE-treatment protected the C. elegans against P. aeruginosa infection by a combination of effects on the innate immunity of the worms and direct effects on the bacterial quorum sensing and virulence factors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Sciences, Nova Scotia Agricultural College, P.O. Box 550, Truro, NS, B2B 5E3, Canada.
authors.forename: Saveetha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kandasamy
authors.affiliation: Genome Research Chair Unit, Department of Biochemistry, College of Science, King Saud University, PO Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Wajahatullah
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.affiliation: Acadian Seaplants Limited, 30 Brown Avenue, Dartmouth, NS, B3B 1X8, Canada.
authors.forename: Franklin
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.affiliation: Acadian Seaplants Limited, 30 Brown Avenue, Dartmouth, NS, B3B 1X8, Canada.
authors.forename: Alan T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Critchley
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Sciences, Nova Scotia Agricultural College, P.O. Box 550, Truro, NS, B2B 5E3, Canada.
authors.forename: Balakrishnan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Prithiviraj
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D044646:Ascophyllum / Q000378:metabolism*; D018441:Biofilms / Q000187:drug effects; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000187:drug effects; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D053038:Quorum Sensing / Q000187:drug effects; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D037521:Virulence Factors