Abstract
Gengnianchun (GNC), a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), is believed to have beneficial effects on ageing-related diseases, such as antioxidant properties and effects against Aβ-induced toxicity. We previously found that GNC extended the lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans. However, the mechanism underlying this effect was unclear. In this study, we further explored the mechanisms of GNC using a C. elegans model. GNC significantly increased the lifespan of C. elegans and enhanced oxidative and thermal stress resistance. Moreover, chemotaxis increased after GNC treatment. RNA-seq analysis showed that GNC regulated genes associated with longevity. We also conducted lifespan assays with a series of worm mutants. The results showed that GNC significantly extended the lifespan of several mutant strains, including eat-2 (ad465), rsks-1 (ok1255), and glp-1 (e2144), suggesting that the prolongevity effect of GNC is independent of the function of these genes. However, GNC failed to extend the lifespan of daf-2 (e1370), age-1 (hx546), and daf-16 (mu86) mutant strains. Our findings suggest that GNC extends the lifespan of C. elegans via the insulin/IGF-1 signalling pathway and may be a potential antiageing agent.
Highlights
Ageing is becoming a major international concern that presents formidable challenges to healthcare systems
Worms were maintained at 20°C on solid nematode growth medium (NGM) plates seeded with E. coli OP50; for CF1903 glp-1 (e2144) cultures, animals were transferred to 25°C after 24 hours at 20°C; for CB1370 daf-2 (e1370) cultures, the nematodes were maintained at 16°C for 3 days and transferred to 20°C until the desired stage of development was reached
We found that 3.94 mg/mL GNC significantly increased the lifespan of C. elegans [7]
Summary
Ageing is becoming a major international concern that presents formidable challenges to healthcare systems. Ageing is proposed as a major risk factor for various diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular and neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, and Parkinson’s diseases [1]. As the global population lives longer, there is an increasing need for strategies to improve the ageing process and ageing-related diseases. With the elucidation of multiple signalling pathways that affect ageing, many strategies that prolong lifespan and improve health are being explored. Application of plant-derived drugs to interfere with the ageing process has received an increasing amount of attention. Natural thioallyl compounds have been shown to increase oxidative stress resistance and lifespan [3], and chlorogenic acid extended the lifespan of C. elegans via the insulin/IGF-1 signalling pathway [4]
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