Geroprotectors for fruit flies and nematodes

Experiments in recent years on flies, worms and fish show that their life expectancy can be significantly increased if their cells are put into a special "energy-saving mode" and forced to actively resist stress caused by external and internal causes. One of the most effective ways to do this is to search for natural or synthetic substances that can increase the resistance of cells. 

In particular, scientists have long been interested in carotenoids, pigments that are produced by plants. The body of animals and humans is not able to produce these substances, but it is known that they are able to reduce the risk of a number of serious diseases, as well as increase life expectancy. In particular, previous studies have shown that carotenoids have antimutagenic, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties, are able to prevent the development of obesity and diabetes, vascular diseases and osteoporosis. 

However, some clinical studies have shown, for example, that beta-carotene leads to an increased risk of lung cancer in smokers. So far, scientists have no reliable data on the mechanisms of action of carotenoids. Moskalev's group investigated the effects of two substances from the group of carotenoids – the orange plant pigment beta-carotene and fucoxanthin contained in algae – on drosophila flies (Drosophila melanogaster) and nematodes (Caenorhabditis elegans). 

During the experiment, half of the subjects ate normal food, and the rest – a special mixture containing a solution of beta-carotene or fucoxanthin. Observations of the life of several hundred flies and nematodes showed that the use of both substances prolonged the life of flies by almost 30%, while worms reacted favorably only to fucoxanthin. The addition of brown algae extract to the diet of nematodes increased their average life expectancy by 14%. 

Scientists believe that beta-carotene did not work because of the low solubility of this substance, that is, the worms simply did not digest it. At the same time, carotenoids prolonged the life of female individuals more. Another difference was that the pigments protected the females from oxidants, whereas this was not observed among males. "Fucoxanthin significantly increased the median life expectancy of fruit flies by 14 days in males and by 14-21 days in females (data from combining three repeats of the experiment). In nematodes, it increased the median lifespan by 3-5 days. Beta-carotene increased the median lifespan of fruit flies by 8-15 days in males and 7-16 days in females," the researchers note. 

The reason for this "sexual inequality", according to Moskalev and his colleagues, is that the females ate more food, so that more pigments penetrated into their body. All the positive effects, as biologists suggest, were due to the fact that beta-carotene and fucoxanthin not only protected DNA from damage, but also forced cells to react more actively to stress and expend energy and various substances more economically. During the experiment, scientists tracked the activity of a number of genes that may be associated with "longevity", and found that genes that are responsible for people's life expectancy are activated. In particular, carotenoids increased the expression of genes involved in the stress response (dSir2, JNK, p53, Gadd45, Keap1, CncC) responsible for neutralizing free radicals (Sod1, GclC), DNA repair (Mus210, Mei-9, Spn-B) encoding heat shock proteins (Hsp70). 

Scientists hope that further study of the effect of these pigments on the animal body will help them understand whether the detected effects will work for humans. "We will need more years of experiments, but in the future we will be able to create new geroprotectors and means to increase life expectancy based on carotenoids," says Moskalev.

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15.09.2015