Abstract
The recently defined and yet rather new topic of healthy aging is attracting more attention worldwide. As the world population is getting older, it is rapidly becoming essential to develop and maintain functional abilities at older age and develop mechanisms to protect the senior population from chronic diseases. One of the most effective components, as well as processes associated with aging, is the recently discovered and Nobel prize-awarded—nitric oxide (NO) (as a signaling molecule), which, followed by later discoveries, showed to have a positive metabolic, immunological, and anti-inflammatory effect. Nitrates are one of the most debated topics of the last decade in the scientific community due to their pathways involved in the production of nitric oxide. Thus, the objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of different potassium nitrate concentrate supplementation on Drosophila melanogaster longevity imitating a human carbohydrate-based diet with relationship to possible cause of oxidative stress. Influence of 0.5–3% potassium nitrate medium on the lifespan and motor function in different groups consisting of 100 fruit fly females in each was analyzed. In this assay, female fly species supplemented with potassium nitrate diet showed life span increase by 18.6% and 5.1% with 1% and 2% KNO3, respectively, with a positive impact on locomotor function. In conclusion, we found that low concentration of potassium nitrate medium increased lifespan and locomotor function in Drosophila melanogaster.
Highlights
Median lifespan has significantly increased by 18.6% and 5.1% with 1% and 2% KNO3, respectively (Figure 1B,C,E; Table 1)
0.5% KNO3 had no significant effect on the lifespan of fruit flies (Figure 1A,E)
The median lifespan appeared to extend by 1.7% with 0.5% nitrate (p > 0.05), while 3% KNO3 medium concentration shortened the lifespan (p < 0.05) if compared to the control group of the salts on the
Summary
Use of dietary KNO3 − may improve the aerobic capacity during increasing cycling exercise (ICE) in young physically active male persons [4]. External environmental factors such as diet, sleep quality, stress management, physical activity, and psychosocial aspects have an important impact on healthy aging and longevity [5,6]. Acting as signaling molecules and is relevant to a vast variety of different physiological processes—including mitochondrial function, blood stream regulation, heart and skeletal muscle contraction [10], neural protection and development, and immune activation, as well as signal transmission [11].
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