Curcumin Acetylsalicylate Extends the Lifespan of <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i>
Aspirin and curcumin have been reported to be beneficial to anti-aging in a variety of biological models. Here, we synthesized a novel compound, curcumin acetylsalicylate (CA), by combining aspirin and curcumin. We characterized how CA affects the lifespan of <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i>...
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MDPI AG
2021-10-01
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| Series: | Molecules |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/26/21/6609 |
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| author | Lei Zhou Jin Liu Lan-Lan Bu Duan-Fang Liao Shao-Wu Cheng Xi-Long Zheng |
| author_facet | Lei Zhou Jin Liu Lan-Lan Bu Duan-Fang Liao Shao-Wu Cheng Xi-Long Zheng |
| author_sort | Lei Zhou |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Aspirin and curcumin have been reported to be beneficial to anti-aging in a variety of biological models. Here, we synthesized a novel compound, curcumin acetylsalicylate (CA), by combining aspirin and curcumin. We characterized how CA affects the lifespan of <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> (<i>C. elegans</i>) worms. Our results demonstrated that CA extended the lifespan of worms in a dose-dependent manner and reached its highest anti-aging effect at the concentration of 20 μM. In addition, CA reduced the deposition of lipofuscin or “age pigment” without affecting the reproductivity of worms. CA also caused a rightward shift of <i>C. elegans</i> lifespan curves in the presence of paraquat-induced (5 mM) oxidative stress or 37 °C acute heat shock. Additionally, CA treatment decreased the reactive oxygen species (ROS) level in <i>C. elegans</i> and increased the expression of downstream genes superoxide dismutase <i>(sod)-3</i>, glutathione S-transferase <i>(gst)-4</i>, heat shock protein <i>(hsp)-16.2,</i> and catalase-1 <i>(ctl-1)</i>. Notably, CA treatment resulted in nuclear translocation of the DAF-16 transcription factor, which is known to stimulate the expression of SOD-3, GST-4, HSP-16, and CTL-1. CA did not produce a longevity effect in <i>daf-16</i> mutants. In sum, our data indicate that CA delayed the aging of <i>C. elegans</i> without affecting reproductivity, and this effect may be mediated by its activation of DAF-16 and subsequent expression of antioxidative genes, such as <i>sod-3</i> and <i>gst-4</i>. Our study suggests that novel anti-aging drugs may be developed by combining two individual drugs. |
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| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T05:56:17Z |
| publishDate | 2021-10-01 |
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| spelling | doaj.art-e568b76c0c07459282604de3b0aaf43a2023-11-22T21:23:52ZengMDPI AGMolecules1420-30492021-10-012621660910.3390/molecules26216609Curcumin Acetylsalicylate Extends the Lifespan of <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i>Lei Zhou0Jin Liu1Lan-Lan Bu2Duan-Fang Liao3Shao-Wu Cheng4Xi-Long Zheng5Key Laboratory of Hunan Province for Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine on Prevention and Treatment of Cardio-Cerebral Diseases, College of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha 410208, ChinaKey Laboratory of Hunan Province for Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine on Prevention and Treatment of Cardio-Cerebral Diseases, College of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha 410208, ChinaDivision of Stem Cell Regulation and Application, Key Laboratory for Quality Evaluation of Bulk Herbs of Hunan Province, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha 410208, ChinaDivision of Stem Cell Regulation and Application, Key Laboratory for Quality Evaluation of Bulk Herbs of Hunan Province, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha 410208, ChinaKey Laboratory of Hunan Province for Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine on Prevention and Treatment of Cardio-Cerebral Diseases, College of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha 410208, ChinaDepartments of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and Physiology & Pharmacology, Libin Cardiovascular Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4Z6, CanadaAspirin and curcumin have been reported to be beneficial to anti-aging in a variety of biological models. Here, we synthesized a novel compound, curcumin acetylsalicylate (CA), by combining aspirin and curcumin. We characterized how CA affects the lifespan of <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> (<i>C. elegans</i>) worms. Our results demonstrated that CA extended the lifespan of worms in a dose-dependent manner and reached its highest anti-aging effect at the concentration of 20 μM. In addition, CA reduced the deposition of lipofuscin or “age pigment” without affecting the reproductivity of worms. CA also caused a rightward shift of <i>C. elegans</i> lifespan curves in the presence of paraquat-induced (5 mM) oxidative stress or 37 °C acute heat shock. Additionally, CA treatment decreased the reactive oxygen species (ROS) level in <i>C. elegans</i> and increased the expression of downstream genes superoxide dismutase <i>(sod)-3</i>, glutathione S-transferase <i>(gst)-4</i>, heat shock protein <i>(hsp)-16.2,</i> and catalase-1 <i>(ctl-1)</i>. Notably, CA treatment resulted in nuclear translocation of the DAF-16 transcription factor, which is known to stimulate the expression of SOD-3, GST-4, HSP-16, and CTL-1. CA did not produce a longevity effect in <i>daf-16</i> mutants. In sum, our data indicate that CA delayed the aging of <i>C. elegans</i> without affecting reproductivity, and this effect may be mediated by its activation of DAF-16 and subsequent expression of antioxidative genes, such as <i>sod-3</i> and <i>gst-4</i>. Our study suggests that novel anti-aging drugs may be developed by combining two individual drugs.https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/26/21/6609curcumin acetylsalicylate<i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i>agingantioxidation |
| spellingShingle | Lei Zhou Jin Liu Lan-Lan Bu Duan-Fang Liao Shao-Wu Cheng Xi-Long Zheng Curcumin Acetylsalicylate Extends the Lifespan of <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> Molecules curcumin acetylsalicylate <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> aging antioxidation |
| title | Curcumin Acetylsalicylate Extends the Lifespan of <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> |
| title_full | Curcumin Acetylsalicylate Extends the Lifespan of <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> |
| title_fullStr | Curcumin Acetylsalicylate Extends the Lifespan of <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> |
| title_full_unstemmed | Curcumin Acetylsalicylate Extends the Lifespan of <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> |
| title_short | Curcumin Acetylsalicylate Extends the Lifespan of <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> |
| title_sort | curcumin acetylsalicylate extends the lifespan of i caenorhabditis elegans i |
| topic | curcumin acetylsalicylate <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> aging antioxidation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/26/21/6609 |
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