Alpiniae oxyphylla fructus extract promotes longevity and stress resistance of C. elegans via DAF-16 and SKN-1

Abstract

Background:Alpiniae Oxyphylla Fructus (AOF) is Traditional Chinese medicine and a dietary supplements for centuries, which posseses cardiotonic, neuroprotective, antioxidant, warming the kidney and nourish the spleen, these biological fuction is related to potential anti-aging properties. However, little is known about their effects on aging. This work aimed to investigate the effects of extracts of AOF on longevity and stress resistance in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) and the mechanisms that underlie its effects.Methods: Wild-type (WT) strand of C.elegans (N2)worms were cultured in growth medium with or without AOF. First, we examined the effects of AOF on lifespan, reproduction and healthspan assay, stress resistance and oxidative analysis, lipofuscin levels. Second, The levels of ROS and MDA, the antioxidant enzyme activities were examined to explore the underlying mechanism of AOF. Finally, the expression of the longevity-related genes were investigated to further understand the AOF’s underlying mechanism.Results: The lifespan of C. elegans was prolonged by 23.44% after treatment with high-dose AOF (100 ug/ml). AOF alleviated aging-related declines in C. elegans health and enhanced resistance to heat shock. Furthermore, AOF decreased reactive oxygen species and malondialdehyde, increased the activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase, and reduced accumulation of fat. AOF upregulated the expression of sod-3, gst-4, daf-16, and skn-1 but downregulated the expression of daf-2 and age-1 and accelerated the translocation of DAF-16 into the nucleus. The extended lifespan induced by AOF was reversed in daf-16(mu86) and skn-1(zu135) mutants, indicating that this gene is involved in AOF-regulated longevity.Conclusion: Our findings demonstrated that AOF extends lifespan and healthspan and enhances stress via boosting the activity of the antioxidant enzyme and controlling the expression of genes associated with insulin/IGF signaling and SKN-1 pathways. As a result, this work suggested AOF as a possible candidate to reduce the signs of aging by activating and inhibiting target genes.

APPA Increases Lifespan and Stress Resistance via Lipid Metabolism and Insulin/IGF-1 Signal Pathway in Caenorhabditis elegans

“…At the same time, age positively correlates with serious diseases like cancer, diabetes, and neurological disorders [ 1 ]. Therefore, aging is both a social and medical issue [ 2 ]. Aging is a natural, irreversible process influenced by genes and environmental factors [ 3 ].…”

A Systematic Review of In Vivo Studies of the Efficacy of Herbal Medicines for Anti-Aging in the Last Five Years

“…has been used for the purpose of enhancing cardiac function, and it has been shown to improve dementia through several experiments [ 58 ]. Recently, however, results of extending lifespan in a Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) model have been reported [ 59 ]. Based on these results, it is thought that Alpinia oxyphylla Miq.…”

Integrating serum pharmacochemistry and network pharmacology to explore potential compounds and mechanisms of Alpiniae oxyphyllae fructus in the treatment of cellular senescence in diabetic kidney disease

“…It has also been found that AOF extract could reduce blood glucose and protect against renal impairment in DKD model mice ( 16 , 17 ). Furthermore, we found that AOF could mitigate age-related phenotypes, improve resistance to thermal and oxidative stress, and prolong the lifespan in Caenorhabditis elegans ( 18 ). Therefore, we speculate that AOF can be used for the treatment of cellular senescence DKD, but its active compounds and mechanisms remain to be explored further.…”