scholarly journals Study of the Effect of Neutral Polysaccharides from Rehmannia glutinosa on Lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans

Molecules ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (24) ◽  
pp. 4592 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanyan Yuan ◽  
Nianxin Kang ◽  
Qingxia Li ◽  
Yali Zhang ◽  
Yonggang Liu ◽  
...  

The problem of an aging society is becoming increasingly acute. Diseases related to aging also come with it. There are some diseases that people can’t treat fundamentally. Therefore, people try to find a natural ingredient from natural medicine to treat these diseases and improve the quality of life of the elderly. With the screening of a large number of traditional Chinese medicines, we found that polysaccharides from Rehmannia glutinous (PRG) can prolong the lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). Neutral polysaccharide is the main component of PRG. In the present study, we used a C. elegans model to illustrate the stress resistance and lifespan extension effect and mechanism of two kinds of neutral polysaccharide fractions from Rehmannia glutinosa (NPRG), respectively called NPRRP and NPRR. Our data showed that two kinds of neutral polysaccharides fractions could extend the lifespan and delay senescence of wild-type worms. Moreover, the mechanism study revealed that NPRG was able to promote the nuclear localization of DAF-16 resulting in the activation of antioxidant enzymatic systems under oxidative stress. We also observed that NPRG didn’t increase the lifespan of mutants with daf-16 portion loss of function, suggesting NPRG prolonging the lifespan partially required the daf-16 gene on the insulin/IGF-1 signaling pathway (IIS). NPRG was found to have no effect on Escherichia coli OP50 (E. coli OP50) growth and pharyngeal pump movement of nematodes, indicating that the anti-aging effect of NPRG is not realized by the caloric restriction. However, mRNA levels of daf-2 were remarkably decreased after NPRG treatment. Thus daf-2 lost its inhibitory effect on the expression of daf-16 and had a continuous stimulation effect on the IIS, then prolonged the life of nematodes. Overall, our results illustrated the potential utilization of NPRG as a functional pharmaceutical ingredient to increase stress resistance and extend the life of C. elegans via the IIS, which could be developed as a natural supplement agent.

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Wen-Yu Zeng ◽  
Lin Tan ◽  
Cong Han ◽  
Zhuo-Ya Zheng ◽  
Gui-Sheng Wu ◽  
...  

Trigonelline is the main alkaloid with bioactivity presented in fenugreek, which was used in traditional medicine in Asian countries for centuries. It is reported that trigonelline has anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and anti-pathogenic effects. We are wondering whether trigonelline have anti-aging effect. We found that 50 μM of trigonelline had the best anti-aging activity and could prolong the lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) by about 17.9%. Trigonelline can enhance the oxidative, heat, and pathogenic stress resistance of C. elegans. Trigonelline could also delay the development of neurodegenerative diseases, such as AD, PD, and HD, in models of C. elegans. Trigonelline could not prolong the lifespan of long-lived worms with loss-of-function mutations in genes regulating energy and nutrition, such as clk-1, isp-1, eat-2, and rsks-1. Trigonelline requires daf-16, hsf-1, and aak-2 to extend the lifespan of C. elegans. Trigonelline can also up-regulate the expression of daf-16 and hsf-1 targeted downstream genes, such as sod-3, gst-4, hsp-16.1, and hsp-12.6. Our results can be the basis for developing trigonelline-rich products with health benefits, as well as for further research on the pharmacological usage of trigonelline.


2019 ◽  
Vol 02 (01) ◽  
pp. 19-25
Author(s):  
Waijiao Cai ◽  
Junzhen Wu ◽  
Xinliumei Wang ◽  
Jianhua Huang ◽  
Ziyin Shen ◽  
...  

Objective: Epimedium flavonoids (EF), the raw extract of medicinal herb Epimedium, have been shown to have broad beneficial effects in the elderly including those with neurodegeneration. The goal of this study is to investigate whether EF is protective against proteotoxicity and whether it extends healthspan in C. elegans. Methods: Animals were treated with EF supplemented in the growth medium. Two C. elegans models of human proteotoxic disease, CL4176 expressing an aggregated amyloid-[Formula: see text] (1–42) peptide (A[Formula: see text]1–42) and AM140 expressing a polyglutamine (polyQ) protein, were exploited to test the anti-proteotoxicity of EF. Proteotoxicity-induced paralysis in CL4176 and AM140 was evaluated. Lifespan, stress resistance, and locomotion were tested in wild-type N2 C. elegans. Lifespan assays were also performed in CF1038, a daf-16 null mutant strain. DAF-16 nuclear translocation was analyzed in TJ356, a strain expressing a functional DAF-16::GFP fusion protein. The mRNA levels of downstream targets of DAF-16 were measured by qPCR. Results: EF significantly reduced A[Formula: see text]1–42- and polyQ-induced paralysis in CL4176 and AM140, indicating the anti-proteotoxic potency of EF. EF significantly extended the lifespan and promoted stress resistance and locomotion in N2, demonstrating a healthspan extension effect of EF. DAF-16 nuclear localization and its downstream targets, sod-3 and hsp-16.2 mRNA levels, were significantly elevated with EF. EF did not increase the lifespan of daf-16 null mutant CF1038, revealing a DAF-16-dependent mechanism of EF effect on lifespan. Conclusion: We found that EF, a natural extract from a widely used medicinal herb Epimedium, protects against proteotoxicity and extends the healthspan via DAF-16 in C. elegans. Our work may provide molecular insights into the clinical benefits of EF and Epimedium.


Antioxidants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1697
Author(s):  
Shiling Feng ◽  
Chunyan Zhang ◽  
Tao Chen ◽  
Lijun Zhou ◽  
Yan Huang ◽  
...  

Oleuropein (OLE) is a secoiridoid glycoside that mainly exists in olives with multifaceted health benefits. The present study aimed to investigate the stress resistance and lifespan extension effects of OLE in Caenorhabditis elegans. The results showed that OLE could significantly prolong the lifespan of C. elegans by 22.29%. Treatment with OLE also significantly increased the survival rates of worms against lethal heat shock and oxidative stress. Meanwhile, OLE supplementation increased the expression and activity of antioxidant enzymes and suppressed the generation of malondialdehyde in nematodes. In addition, the results from mutants implied that OLE might mediate longevity and stress resistance via DAF-16/FoxO, which played a vital role in the insulin/IGF-1 signaling (IIS) pathway. To further identify the molecular targets of OLE, mRNA level and loss-of-function mutants of IIS-associated genes were investigated. The data revealed that OLE activated IIS by down-regulating the upstream components, daf-2 and age-1. Furthermore, another stress response and longevity pathway in parallel to DAF-16, SKN-1/Nrf2, was also shown to involve in OLE-induced beneficial effects. Collectively, these results provide the theoretical basis that OLE could enhance the stress resistance and increase the lifespan of C. elegans through the IIS and SKN-1/Nrf2 signaling pathways.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Mani Iyer Prasanth ◽  
James Michael Brimson ◽  
Dicson Sheeja Malar ◽  
Anchalee Prasansuklab ◽  
Tewin Tencomnao

BACKGROUND: Streblus asper Lour., has been reported to have anti-aging and neuroprotective efficacies in vitro. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the anti-aging, anti-photoaging and neuroprotective efficacies of S. asper in Caenorhabditis elegans. METHODS: C. elegans (wild type and gene specific mutants) were treated with S. asper extract and analyzed for lifespan and other health benefits through physiological assays, fluorescence microscopy, qPCR and Western blot. RESULTS: The plant extract was found to increase the lifespan, reduce the accumulation of lipofuscin and modulate the expression of candidate genes. It could extend the lifespan of both daf-16 and daf-2 mutants whereas the pmk-1 mutant showed no effect. The activation of skn-1 was observed in skn-1::GFP transgenic strain and in qPCR expression. Further, the extract can extend the lifespan of UV-A exposed nematodes along with reducing ROS levels. Additionally, the extract also extends lifespan and reduces paralysis in Aβ transgenic strain, apart from reducing Aβ expression. CONCLUSIONS: S. asper was able to extend the lifespan and healthspan of C. elegans which was independent of DAF-16 pathway but dependent on SKN-1 and MAPK which could play a vital role in eliciting the anti-aging, anti-photoaging and neuroprotective effects, as the extract could impart oxidative stress resistance and neuroprotection.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mercedes M. Pérez-Jiménez ◽  
José M. Monje-Moreno ◽  
Ana María Brokate-Llanos ◽  
Mónica Venegas-Calerón ◽  
Alicia Sánchez-García ◽  
...  

AbstractAging and fertility are two interconnected processes. From invertebrates to mammals, absence of the germline increases longevity. Here we show that loss of function of sul-2, the Caenorhabditis elegans steroid sulfatase (STS), raises the pool of sulfated steroid hormones, increases longevity and ameliorates protein aggregation diseases. This increased longevity requires factors involved in germline-mediated longevity (daf-16, daf-12, kri-1, tcer-1 and daf-36 genes) although sul-2 mutations do not affect fertility. Interestingly, sul-2 is only expressed in sensory neurons, suggesting a regulation of sulfated hormones state by environmental cues. Treatment with the specific STS inhibitor STX64, as well as with testosterone-derived sulfated hormones reproduces the longevity phenotype of sul-2 mutants. Remarkably, those treatments ameliorate protein aggregation diseases in C. elegans, and STX64 also Alzheimer’s disease in a mammalian model. These results open the possibility of reallocating steroid sulfatase inhibitors or derivates for the treatment of aging and aging related diseases.


Genetics ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 162 (4) ◽  
pp. 1631-1639
Author(s):  
Yo Suzuki ◽  
Gail A Morris ◽  
Min Han ◽  
William B Wood

Abstract The signaling pathway initiated by the TGF-β family member DBL-1 in Caenorhabditis elegans controls body shape in a dose-dependent manner. Loss-of-function (lf) mutations in the dbl-1 gene cause a short, small body (Sma phenotype), whereas overexpression of dbl-1 causes a long body (Lon phenotype). To understand the cellular mechanisms underlying these phenotypes, we have isolated suppressors of the Sma phenotype resulting from a dbl-1(lf) mutation. Two of these suppressors are mutations in the lon-3 gene, of which four additional alleles are known. We show that lon-3 encodes a collagen that is a component of the C. elegans cuticle. Genetic and reporter-gene expression analyses suggest that lon-3 is involved in determination of body shape and is post-transcriptionally regulated by the dbl-1 pathway. These results support the possibility that TGF-β signaling controls C. elegans body shape by regulating cuticle composition.


Genetics ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 145 (1) ◽  
pp. 111-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa C Kadyk ◽  
Eric J Lambie ◽  
Judith Kimble

The germ line is the only tissue in Caenorhabditis elegans in which a stem cell population continues to divide mitotically throughout life; hence the cell cycles of the germ line and the soma are regulated differently. Here we report the genetic and phenotypic characterization of the glp-3 gene. In animals homozygous for each of five recessive loss-of-function alleles, germ cells in both hermaphrodites and males fail to progress through mitosis and meiosis, but somatic cells appear to divide normally. Germ cells in animals grown at 15° appear by DAPI staining to be uniformly arrested at the G2/M transition with <20 germ cells per gonad on average, suggesting a checkpoint-mediated arrest. In contrast, germ cells in mutant animals grown at 25° frequently proliferate slowly during adulthood, eventually forming small germ lines with several hundred germ cells. Nevertheless, cells in these small germ lines never undergo meiosis. Double mutant analysis with mutations in other genes affecting germ cell proliferation supports the idea that glp-3 may encode a gene product that is required for the mitotic and meiotic cell cycles in the C. elegans germ line.


Genetics ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 158 (2) ◽  
pp. 643-655 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno van Swinderen ◽  
Laura B Metz ◽  
Laynie D Shebester ◽  
Jane E Mendel ◽  
Paul W Sternberg ◽  
...  

Abstract To identify genes controlling volatile anesthetic (VA) action, we have screened through existing Caenorhabditis elegans mutants and found that strains with a reduction in Go signaling are VA resistant. Loss-of-function mutants of the gene goa-1, which codes for the α-subunit of Go, have EC50s for the VA isoflurane of 1.7- to 2.4-fold that of wild type. Strains overexpressing egl-10, which codes for an RGS protein negatively regulating goa-1, are also isoflurane resistant. However, sensitivity to halothane, a structurally distinct VA, is differentially affected by Go pathway mutants. The RGS overexpressing strains, a goa-1 missense mutant found to carry a novel mutation near the GTP-binding domain, and eat-16(rf) mutants, which suppress goa-1(gf) mutations, are all halothane resistant; goa-1(null) mutants have wild-type sensitivities. Double mutant strains carrying mutations in both goa-1 and unc-64, which codes for a neuronal syntaxin previously found to regulate VA sensitivity, show that the syntaxin mutant phenotypes depend in part on goa-1 expression. Pharmacological assays using the cholinesterase inhibitor aldicarb suggest that VAs and GOA-1 similarly downregulate cholinergic neurotransmitter release in C. elegans. Thus, the mechanism of action of VAs in C. elegans is regulated by Goα, and presynaptic Goα-effectors are candidate VA molecular targets.


1985 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 363-372
Author(s):  
G N Cox ◽  
D Hirsh

Collagens are the major protein components of the Caenorhabditis elegans cuticle and are encoded by a large family of 40 to 150 closely related but nonidentical genes. We have determined temporal patterns of mRNA accumulation for a large number of collagen genes by screening recombinant phages and plasmids containing cloned collagen genes under high stringency conditions with 32P-labeled cDNA preparations specific for eggs or three postembryonic molts. We find that collagen mRNA levels are regulated both temporally and quantitatively during C. elegans development. Most genes studied exhibit one of four patterns of mRNA accumulation which correlate with changes in cuticle morphology and collagen protein composition during development. Our results suggest that, in general, there is a progressive activation of new collagen genes during normal development.


2004 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brenda R. Ellerbrock ◽  
Eileen M. Coscarelli ◽  
Mark E. Gurney ◽  
Timothy G. Geary

Caenorhabditis elegans contains 3 homologs of presenilin genes that are associated with Alzheimer s disease. Loss-of-function mutations in C. elegans genes cause a defect in egg laying. In humans, loss of presenilin-1 (PS1) function reduces amyloid-beta peptide processing from the amyloid protein precursor. Worms were screened for compounds that block egg laying, phenocopying presenilin loss of function. To accommodate even relatively high throughput screening, a semi-automated method to quantify egg laying was devised by measuring the chitinase released into the culture medium. Chitinase is released by hatching eggs, but little is shed into the medium from the body cavity of a hermaphrodite with an egg laying deficient ( egl) phenotype. Assay validation involved measuring chitinase release from wild-type C. elegans (N2 strain), sel-12 presenilin loss-of-function mutants, and 2 strains of C. elegans with mutations in the egl-36K+ channel gene. Failure to find specific presenilin inhibitors in this collection likely reflects the small number of compounds tested, rather than a flaw in screening strategy. Absent defined biochemical pathways for presenilin, this screening method, which takes advantage of the genetic system available in C. elegans and its historical use for anthelminthic screening, permits an entry into mechanism-based discovery of drugs for Alzheimer s disease. ( Journal of Biomolecular Screening 2004:147-152)


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