The stem of
Cassia siamea
L. (Fabaceae) has been used in traditional Thai medicine as a longevity remedy. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of ethanolic stem extract of
C. siamea
(CSE) on the life span of
Drosophila melanogaster
. The results showed that a diet containing 10 mg/mL CSE could significantly extend the mean life span of
D. melanogaster
by 14% compared with the control diet (P < 0.01). The maximum life span was 74, 78, and 84 days in control, CSE (5 mg/mL) and CSE (10 mg/mL) groups, respectively. Supplementation of CSE at 10 mg/mL also significantly increases the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) at days 25 and 40 compared with the control diet. Treatment of CSE at 5 and 10 mg/mL significantly increased the climbing ability of
D. melanogaster
both on days 25 and 40 compared with the control flies. Paraquat and H
2
O
2
challenge test showed that flies fed with CSE at 10 mg/mL had a longer survival time than the control flies (
P
< 0.01). This study provides supportive evidence that supplementation with CSE prolonged life span and reduced oxidative stress in
D. melanogaster
.
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