Antioxidant Blend of Curcumin and Broccoli Seed Extract Exhibits Protective Effect on Neurodegeneration and Promotes Drosophila Lifespan

Abstract

Antioxidants and related compounds are anti-inflammatory and exhibit great potential in promoting human health. They are also often considered to be important elements in the process of neurodegeneration. Here we describe a antioxidant blend of Curcumin and Broccoli Seed Extract (BSE). Flies treated with the blend exhibit extended lifespan. RNA-seq analysis of samples from adult fly brains reveals a wide array of new genes with differential expression upon treatment with the blend. Interestingly, abolishing expression of some of the identified genes in dopaminergic (DA) neurons does not affect DA neuron number. Taken together, our findings reveal an antioxidant blend that promotes fly longevity and exhibits protective effect over neurodegeneration, demonstrating the importance of antioxidants in health and pathology.

Do Antioxidants Extend Longevity in Invertebrate and Vertebrate Animals?

“…Many of these compounds are derived from plants, such as hawthorn [109] and canary seed [110] or from fungi, such as shitake mushroom [111], but also include synthetic drugs [112]. While most of these studies have been conducted in C. elegans, similar findings have been seen with plant extracts in D. melanogaster [113][114][115], yeast [116,117] and rotifers [118]. The findings for antioxidant manipulation in invertebrates are summarized in Table 2.…”

Senolytic and senomorphic secondary metabolites as therapeutic agents in Drosophila melanogaster models of Parkinson’s disease

“…Sulforaphane (from broccoli seed extract) and curcumin extend the lifespan of male and female D. melanogaster individually. Synergistically, they extend the lifespan even greater than either alone ( 144 ). A concoction of two parts curcumin and five parts broccoli seed extract at a concentration of 0.8 g/L yielded the greatest improvement in lifespan extension of about 20 days.…”

“…Furthermore, in the protocerebral posterior medial bundle, the number of dopaminergic neurons increased. Finally, RNAi knockdown of the top candidate genes preserved the lifespan of D. melanogaster that were treated with paraquat ( 144 ).…”

Dietary Supplements and Natural Products: An Update on Their Clinical Effectiveness and Molecular Mechanisms of Action During Accelerated Biological Aging

“…On 27 January 2022, we searched PubMed for the number of publications involving curcumin and aging (search terms: “Curcumin” and “Aging”) and found 578 clinical, preclinical, and review articles from 1999 to 2022. From this search, many studies show that in mice, worms, yeasts, and flies, curcumin or its semi-synthetic derivatives or its combination with other nutraceuticals remarkably extend lifespan and promote healthy aging ( Zhou et al, 2021a ; Cheng et al, 2021 ). Furthermore, numerous excellent narrative and systematic reviews describe how curcumin and/or its analogs have multiple anti-aging effects ( Wang et al, 2021b ).…”