Abstract
The median and maximum life spans of the drosophilid insect Zaprionus paravittiger reared on corn meal agar medium at 26±2°C were 35 and 70 days for males and 40 and 77 days for females, respectively. The addition of different concentrations of an antioxidant, sodium hypophosphite (SHP), in the diet resulted in increased median and maximum life spans of both the sexes: maximum by 21.7% and 34.2% in males and by 27.5% and 27.2% in females, respectively. DNA and RNA contents were found to decrease in normal as well as SHP fed insects, but the rate of decline was significantly lower in the latter. The results suggest that the damaging effect of free radicals is diminished by the antioxidizing property of SHP, thus supporting the free radical theory of aging.
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