Abstract
Panax ginseng is a valuable traditional Chinese medicine in Northeast China. Ginsenoside, the active component of ginseng, has not been investigated much for its effects on aging and its underlying mechanism(s) of action. Here, we investigated the effects of total ginsenoside (TG), a mixture of the primary active ginsenosides from Panax ginseng, on the lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). We found that TG extended the lifespan of C. elegans and reduced lipofuscin accumulation. Moreover, TG increased the survival of C. elegans in response to heat and oxidative stress via the reduction of ROS. Next, we used RNA-seq to fully define the antiaging mechanism(s) of TG. The KEGG pathway analysis showed that TG can prolong the lifespan and is involved in the longevity regulating pathway. qPCR showed that TG upregulated the expression of nrh-80, daf-12, daf-16, hsf-1 and their downstream genes. TG also reduced the fat accumulation and promoted lipid metabolism. Moreover, TG failed to extend the lifespan of daf-16 and hsf-1 mutants, highlighting their role in the antiaging effects of TG in C. elegans. The four main constitution of TG were then confirmed by HPLC and included ginsenoside Re, Rg1, Rg2 and Rd. Of the ginsenosides, only ginsenoside Rd prolonged the lifespan of C. elegans to levels comparable to TG. These findings provided mechanistic insight into the antiaging effects of ginsenoside in C. elegans.
Highlights
Published: 7 September 2021Aging is defined as a progressive decline in tissue, organ and neuronal function [1].With the elucidation of the signaling pathways that influence aging, strategies to prolong the lifespan and improve human health have been explored
To eliminate the influence of bacterial growth and metabolism on the lifespan of C. elegans, we explored whether total ginsenoside (TG) influences the growth and metabolism of OP50
We found that the treatment with 1 μg/mL ginsenoside Rd significantly increased the transport of DAF-16 into the nucleus (Figure 10C,D), suggesting a similar mechanism of lifespan extension to that of TG
Summary
Aging is defined as a progressive decline in tissue, organ and neuronal function [1]. With the elucidation of the signaling pathways that influence aging, strategies to prolong the lifespan and improve human health have been explored. Antioxidants are one such example, which delay aging and promote health [2,3]. Ginseng root has been widely used for centuries in Chinese medicine as a panacea that prolongs the lifespan [5]. The majority of the pharmacological effects of ginseng root can be attributed to ginsenosides, a diverse group of steroidal saponins [7]. The positive effects of ginsenosides have been shown in the CNS
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