Figure 2.Bile acids are beneficial to health and longevity in animals.(A) In
mammals, bile acids (BA) function not only as
trophic factors for the enteric epithelium and detergents for the
emulsification and absorption of dietary lipids, but also as signaling
molecules that regulate lipid, glucose and energy homeostasis and activate
detoxification of xenobiotics.By improving overall health, BA may delay the onset of age-related
diseases and have beneficial effect on longevity. By activating
transcription of numerous xenobiotic detoxification genes and thus promoting chemical hormesis, BA may extend their
longevity by acting as endobiotic regulators
of aging. (B) In worms, following their synthesis from cholesterol
in the intestine, hypodermis, spermatheca and sensory neurons, bile
acid-like dafachronic acids (DCA) are delivered to other tissues where they
activate the DAF-12/DAF-16 signaling cascade, thereby orchestrating an
anti-aging transcriptional program and increasing the life span of the
entire organism.
