Abstract
If aging is due to or contributed by free radical reactions, as postulated by the free radical theory of aging, lifespan of organisms should be extended by administration of exogenous antioxidants. This paper reviews data on model organisms concerning the effects of exogenous antioxidants (antioxidant vitamins, lipoic acid, coenzyme Q, melatonin, resveratrol, curcumin, other polyphenols, and synthetic antioxidants including antioxidant nanoparticles) on the lifespan of model organisms. Mechanisms of effects of antioxidants, often due to indirect antioxidant action or to action not related to the antioxidant properties of the compounds administered, are discussed. The legitimacy of antioxidant supplementation in human is considered.
Highlights
Aging is an unavoidable, universal, biological phenomenon affecting all multicellular organisms and probably common among unicellular organisms, including protozoa, yeast, and bacteria [1, 2]
Proteomic analysis revealed that EGCG (0.1–1 μM) affected the expression levels of diverse proteins, including proteins related to cytoskeletal components, metabolism, and heat shock
EGCG decreased protein levels and mRNA expression of the beta subunit of the enzyme prolyl 4-hydroxylase, which belongs to a family of iron-oxygen sensors of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) prolyl hydroxylases that negatively regulate the stability and degradation of several proteins involved in cell survival and differentiation
Summary
Universal, biological phenomenon affecting all multicellular organisms (with few apparent exceptions) and probably common among unicellular organisms, including protozoa, yeast, and bacteria [1, 2]. Seen from that perspective, the “Free Radical Theory of Aging” (FRTA) [10], more commonly termed the oxidative damage theory of ageing, seems to address a key facet of intrinsic biological instability of living systems [11, 12]. The basic idea of the FRTA is that free radicals and other ROS, formed unavoidably in the course of metabolism and arising due to the action of various exogenous factors, damage biomolecules, and accumulation of this damage are the cause of age-related diseases and aging. If FRTA is true, antioxidants should slow down aging and prolong lifespan This apparently obvious conclusion has stimulated enormous number of studies aimed at finding a relationship between levels of endogenous antioxidants and lifespan of various organisms on the effects of addition of exogenous antioxidants on the course of aging and lifespan of model organisms. Pubmed provides more than 13300 hits for conjunction of terms “antioxidant” and “aging or ageing.” in spite of the plethora of studies, the answer to the question if exogenous antioxidants can prolong life is far from being clear
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