Effect of Colocasia esculenta (Taro) Extract in the Reduction of Vulval Development in Let-60 Gene of Caenorhabditis elegans

Abstract

Introduction: Different changes in the environment drive the body to adapt for survival. Exposure to toxic agents can release free radicals from cellular metabolism that serve as a medium for a healthy cell to mutate. Let-60 gene or let-23 EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) regulates epithelial tissue development and homeostasis. However, inappropriate activation of EGFR is a driver of tumorigenesis. Taro, a root vegetable whose corm is often consumed as food.Aim: Taro’s optimal protein content is investigated for its reduction properties against the development of the vulva in Caenorhabditis elegans. Caenorhabditis elegans is an auxotrophic nematode that is often utilized as a representative of a mammal due to its genotypic similarities.Methods: Three concentrations, 0.5 mg/mL, 10 mg/mL, and 50 mg/mL, were subjected to the synchronized-growth Caenorhabditis elegans. Neither concentration utilized was toxic to the initial development of the nematode. The synchronized L1 stage C. elegans worms, which were cultivated from the nematode growth medium at 20°C, were utilized and transferred into 4 NGM plates for more synchronized growth. The worms of the L1 stage were obtained and flooded with E. coli OP50 as their food source. The worms of the L1 stage were then grouped according to concentration. The number of worms, those with and without a vulva, were quantified. Results will be tabulated, and a two-way mixed ANOVA was used to compare the effectiveness of the concentrations used and to analyze the significant difference between the data collected.Results: The 10 mg/mL concentration of Caenorhabditis elegans extract yielded the greatest number of nematodes without a vulva.Conclusion: No concentration of the extract was detrimental to the viability of the nematode after 24 hr of treatment. The taro extract may have reduced the vulva in Caenorhabditis elegans at the 10 mg/mL and 50 mg/mL concentrations. Among the three concentrations, the 10 mg/mL had the most significant reducing effect.

Keywords: Caenorhabditis elegans; Colocasia esculenta; Corm; Let-23 EGFR; Let-60 gene; vulva