Catalyst Projects provide support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities to work towards establishing research capacity of faculty to strengthen science, technology, engineering and mathematics undergraduate education and research. It is expected that the award will further the faculty member's research capability, improve research and teaching at the institution, and involve undergraduate students in research experiences. This project at Johnson C. Smith University will explore the ability of natural compounds to permanently inhibit or prevent the progression of cell death via apoptosis in neuronal cells. The project will increase the exposure and engagement of underrepresented students in hands-on, inquiry-based research in the biology of aging and prepare them for graduate and pre-professional programs in STEM.
This project forwards the trajectory to find natural compounds that impact molecular switches that may permanently slow or stop the progression of apoptosis in neuronal cells. The central hypothesis is that flavonoids may inhibit, block or prevent the progression of apoptosis in HT22 neuronal cells. Cell death via apoptosis leads to the activation of molecules such as caspases which have been shown to induce apoptosis. Although studies show that flavonoids are able to inhibit apoptosis in human normal astrocytes, few studies have focused on this aspect of flavonoid bioactivity or the molecular targets impacted in this role. This project is an in-vitro study with the primary goal of assessing the effects of flavonoids on neuronal cell death via apoptosis, an issue that is critically associated to the fields of systems biology, neurobiology, and nutrition science. The neuronal cell line HT22, will be used in this study for the purpose of assessing the impact of quercetin and macluraxanthone on gene and protein expression of molecular targets (caspases 3, 8, 9; iROS; iNOS) and to measure the impact of antioxidant compounds on the rate of cell death via apoptosis in vitro. The findings from this study will increase knowledge of inhibition of cell death via apoptosis in neuronal cells.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
