The use of aspartame in food has become increasingly popular in the US as well the use of manuka honey in holistic medicine. Aspartame has been implicated as neurodegenerative agent in C. elegans though research is still being conducted. The purpose of the project was to test if manuka honey protects C. elegans neurons from damage caused by aspartame. If the C. elegans are exposed to different levels of honey concentrations and placed in an aspartame solution, then the honey will protect the C. elegans neurons from damage.

For my procedure, C. elegans were transferred onto honey agar made from NGM powder premix and a honey solution of water and honey. The honey agar consisted of honey concentrations 1%, 3.5%, and 6%. There were 4 control plates and three experimental plates at each condition. The C. elegans were left on the agar plates for 2 days. The control plates were dyed with a dilution of DI and observed after 24 hours of rocking on a slow rocker under the fluorescent microscope. The experimental group was transferred to a solution of aspartame and water containing 0.05% aspartame in well plates. Each plate of C. elegans was placed in an individual well using M9 buffer to aspirate them into the solution. After 24 hours, the C. elegans in the wells were collected and their neurons were dyed using DI. They were observed under the fluorescent microscope after 24 hours of rocking. There was also a control for the aspartame withi C. elegans that were not exposed to honey and they were placed in the aspartame solution and their neurons were dyed in the same way as the other cultures as well as observed under the microscope. The final control was no exposure to honey or aspartame and they were dyed and observed under the inicroscope. Worms in the L2 and L3 stage were selected to analyze.

After running an ANOVA test, the data was significant between all test groups with a P-value of <0.01. The control with no aspartame or honey was significant to the control with aspartame demonstrating the aspartaine caused damage. The aspartame control was significant with the 1% honey agar and aspartame because the honey agar and aspartame CTAF value was higher than aspartame indicating the honey helped. The significance indicates differences in the CTAF or how healthy the neurons were. In the end, the hypothesis was supported because dam age was inflicted and repaired. Manuka honey protects C. elegans from neurodegeneration caused by aspartame. The trial with the 6% honey agar was not included because that concentration of honey killed the worms so images were not taken. In future studies, the effect of sugar on C, elegans should be investigated as well as starting with concentrations of honey at 1% and lower.