Oolonghomobisflavans from Camellia sinensis increase Caenorhabditis elegans lifespan and healthspan

Abstract

Tea polyphenols are widely considered as excellent antioxidant agents which can contribute to human health and longevity. However, the identification of the active biomolecules in complex tea extracts that promote health and longevity are not fully known. Here we used the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans to analyze the health benefits and longevity effects of Camellia sinensis oolong tea extracts (QFT, NFT, and CFT) and oolonghomobisflavan A and oolonghomobisflavan B, which are present in oolong tea extracts. Our results showed that oolong tea extracts and oolonghomobisflavans prolong lifespan and improved healthspan by curtailing the age-related decline in muscle activity and the accumulation of age pigment (lipofuscin). We found that the lifespan and healthspan promoting effects of oolong tea extracts and oolonghomobisflavans were positively correlated with the stress resistance via DAF-16/FOXO transcription factor. Furthermore, oolong tea extracts and oolonghomobisflavans displayed protective effects against Aβ- and polyQ-induced neuro/proteotoxicity. Overall, our study provides new evidence to support the health benefits of oolong tea and importantly identify oolonghomobisflavans as potent bioactive molecules that promote health when supplemented with a normal diet. As such, oolonghomobisflavans represent a valuable new class of compounds that promote healthy aging.

Oolonghomobisflavans exert neuroprotective activities in cultured neuronal cells and anti-aging effects in Caenorhabditis elegans

“…EGCG could increase lifespan in several animal models such as Drosophila melanogaster ( Wagner et al, 2015 ), Caenorhabditis elegans ( Abbas and Wink, 2009 ), and Rattus norvegicus ( Niu et al, 2013 ). These studies are in agreement with our findings that OFA and OFB have longevity effect by extending the lifespan of C. elegans ( Duangjan and Curran, 2022 ). Since OFA and OFB are dimers of EGCG, this result implies that even larger polyphenols exhibit bioavailability in worms.…”

Two new catechins from Zijuan green tea enhance the fitness and lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans via insulin-like signaling pathways

“…The structurally distinct EGCG dimers, oolonghomobisfavan A and B, could also increase the mean lifespan of C. elegans by 20%. 20 Strikingly, 100 μM solutions of the new catechins found here, zijuanins E and F, could extend the lifespan of C. elegans by 67.2% and 56.0%, respectively, which is far better than the effect of EGCG, ECG, epicatechin (EC), and the positive drug resveratrol (Fig. S27 and Table S3 †) under the same conditions.…”

“…32 Our above lines of evidence suggest that zijuanins E and F are potent molecules with lifespan-promoting characteristics, and might be the strongest ones discovered up to now. 20,28,30,49 Moreover, zijuains E and F have better bioavailability, which might thus lead to stronger bioactivities. We will continue to explore their potential antiaging mechanisms and bioavailability in the future.…”

“…[7][8][9][10] The most important green tea constituents are catechins, a group of bioactive polyphenols. [11][12][13][14][15][16] Although several studies have described the antiaging effects of tea extract, [17][18][19][20][21] antiaging studies on tea components mostly focus on the major catechin, (−)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). Nevertheless, these studies, which only produced mediocre antiaging results, have limited our understanding of the antiaging effects and the underlying material basis of green tea.…”

A Comprehensive Review on Beneficial Effects of Catechins on Secondary Mitochondrial Diseases

“…For example, oolonghomobisflavan, which is isolated from oolong tea extracts, can promote health through DAF-16/FOXO transcription factors. Furthermore, oolonghomobisflavan is protective against polyQ- and Aβ-induced neuro/protein toxicity [ 236 ].…”