Abstract
Caffeine has been reported to delay aging and protect aging-associated disorders in Caenorhabditis elegans. However, the effects of low concentration of caffeine and its analogs on lifespan are currently missing. Herein, we report that at much lower concentrations (as low as 10 μg/ml), caffeine extended the lifespan of C. elegans without affecting food intake and reproduction. The effect of caffeine was dependent on IGF-1-like pathway, although the insulin receptor homolog, daf-2 allele, e1371, was dispensable. Four caffeine analogs, 1-methylxanthine, 7-methylxanthine, 1,3-dimethylxanthine, and 1,7-dimethylxanthine, also extended lifespan, whereas 3-methylxanthine and 3,7-dimethylxanthine did not exhibit lifespan-extending activity.
Highlights
Caffeine (1,3,7-trimethylxanthine) has been reported to act through daf-16 and cbp-1 to increase the lifespan of the nematode model organism Caenorhabditis elegans (Lublin et al, 2011)
To determine whether caffeine extended the lifespan of worms, we exposed N2 wild-type C. elegans to caffeine and measured their lifespans
The result showed that caffeine did not reduce food intake (Figure 1E), which suggested that caffeine did not prolong lifespan by calorie restriction
Summary
Caffeine (1,3,7-trimethylxanthine) has been reported to act through daf-16 and cbp-1 to increase the lifespan of the nematode model organism Caenorhabditis elegans (Lublin et al, 2011). Higher doses (400–500 mg/day) of caffeine may lead to side effects, including increased anxiety, increased blood pressure, headache, and confusion (Chen et al, 2010). The concentrations used in previous studies which reported the life-span extending effect of caffeine ranged from 1 to 100 mmol/L (18 mmol/L = 1 g/L), which is relatively higher than physiological doses (Lublin et al, 2011; Sutphin et al, 2012; Bridi et al, 2015). Studies examining the effects of low caffeine concentrations on life span are currently missing
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