Effect of the Extract from Fungus Garden of Termite on Drosophila Model of Parkinson’s Disease

Tranditional Chinese medicine (TCM) was successfully used in many cases of chronic disease treatment. The fungus garden of termite, a mixture of leaves, growing fungi, and secretion of termite, is often used for protection of the liver, and treatments for disorder diseases, Parkinson's disease (PD), and so on. However, the mechanism is unknown. To reveal the effective component, we applied the ethanol extract from fungus garden of termite treat Drosophila model 444 Lirong Yan et al of PD. The result showed that the extract rescued the climbing defect, increased the movement activity, and extended the lifespan of the PD Drosophila. Histological observation of brain tissue of PD Drosophila indicated that the number of nerve cells increased and vacuoles reduced in the group treated with termite fungus garden. It implied that PD Drosophila model is effective in screening of TCM for treatment of PD disease, and the fungus garden of termite is helpful for cure of PD disease.