Keywords
Manuka honey; SIRT1; Methyl syringate; Mitochondrial function; Oxidative stress; Neurology
Abstract
Manuka honey is known for its vital usage in wound healing, being an agonist towards fighting infections, and is an acting antioxidant [32]. Its main constituents are flavonoids and phenolic compounds, with methyl syringate (MSYR) being a major active ingredient. The specific compounds responsible for these antioxidant effects, particularly in the CNS, remain unclear. It is hypothesized that pre-treatment of mouse neuroblastoma cells with MSYR followed by hydrogen peroxide exposure will activate the AMPK/SIRT1/PGC-1a pathway, due to MSYR’s phenolic structure, and thus reduce oxidative stress and improve mitochondrial biogenesis. Hydrogen peroxide is a standard reactive oxygen species (ROS) treatment to stimulate oxidative stress in vitro, defined by the imbalance of redox reactions. This leads to oxidizing molecules vastly outnumbering their fighting counterpart antioxidants [1]. AMP activated protein kinase (AMPK) increases the NAD+ concentration, leading to SIRT1 activation. SIRT1 via deacetylation activates PGC-1a, causing an indirect increase in mitochondrial DNA transcription [2]. SIRT1 and mNOS-2 mRNA levels were assessed with RT-qPCR and analyzed via fold change ratios. ROS were investigated with the Cell ROX Green Reagent and fluorescence microscopy. The results demonstrate an increase in SIRT1 expression, with a significant increase found in the 100 uM MSYR treatment. In comparison to the control, the cell ROX assay quantitively exemplifies a stronger intensity in the ROS signal within the cell’s mitochondria and nuclei in the hydrogen peroxide condition. This investigation proposes that the pre-treatment with 100 uM MSYR significantly increases antioxidant production and mitochondrial biogenesis and potentially reducing ROS levels. Further research is needed to corroborate if these findings are applicable to neuroinflammatory pathology models.
Thesis Completion Year
2026
Thesis Completion Semester
Spring
Thesis Chair
Borgon, Robert
College
College of Medicine
Department
Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences
Thesis Discipline
Molecular Biology
Language
English
Access Status
Open Access
Length of Campus Access
None
Campus Location
Orlando (Main) Campus
STARS Citation
Abramovici, Rachel, "Manuka Honey Modulates Oxidative Stress in Neuro2-A Cells Through Mitochondrial Regulation" (2026). Honors Undergraduate Theses. 586.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/hut2024/586
Included in
Cell Biology Commons, Cellular and Molecular Physiology Commons, Food Chemistry Commons, Medical Molecular Biology Commons, Medical Neurobiology Commons, Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience Commons, Natural Products Chemistry and Pharmacognosy Commons
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