Research Paper Volume 14, Issue 16 pp 6427—6448
An aqueous extract of the brown alga Eisenia bicyclis extends lifespan in a sex-specific manner by interfering with the Tor-FoxO axis
- 1 Kiel University, Department Molecular Physiology, Zoology, Kiel, Germany
- 2 Kiel University, Institute of Human Nutrition and Food Science, Kiel, Germany
- 3 Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology, TU Munich, Munich, Germany
- 4 Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine, Department Parasitology, Hamburg, Germany
- 5 DZL, German Center for Lung Research, ARCN, Airway Research Center North, Kiel, Germany
Received: May 16, 2022 Accepted: July 21, 2022 Published: August 16, 2022
https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.204218How to Cite
Copyright: © 2022 Tahanzadeh et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Abstract
Food has a decisive influence on our health, to the extent where even lifespan can be directly affected by it. In the present work, we have examined the effects of an aqueous extract of the marine brown alga Eisenia bicyclis in terms of its potential to extend lifespan. For this purpose, we used the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster as a model. The experiments showed that small amounts of Eisenia extract can extend lifespan by up to 40%. This effect is not only related to the median but also to the maximum lifespan. Interestingly, this life-extending effect is sex-specific, i.e. it occurs exclusively in females. Even under stressful nutritional conditions such as a high sugar diet, this effect is detectable. Mechanistic studies showed that this life-prolonging effect depends on a functional Tor and a functional FoxO signaling pathway. It can be concluded that components of the Eisenia extract prolong lifespan by interacting with the Tor-FoxO axis. This study may serve to stimulate further investigations, which on the one hand show such a life-prolonging effect also in other organisms and on the other hand identify the substances responsible for this effect. Finally, it may also encourage the increased use of arame as a health-promoting food supplement.