Ellagic acid is a natural polyphenol found in various fruits and vegetables. Numerous studies have shown that ellagic acid has beneficial effects on human health. In this study, we investigated the stress resistant action of ellagic acid in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). Notably, 50 μM ellagic acid prolonged the lifespan of C. elegans by 36.25%, 36.22%, 155.1%, and 79.07% under ultraviolet radiation stress, heat stress, oxidative stress, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection stress, respectively. Furthermore, the mechanism by which ellagic acid reduces the damage caused by ultraviolet radiation in C. elegans was explored. Ellagic acid could significantly induce the nucleus translocation of DAF-16 and, thereby, activate a series of target genes to resist ultraviolet radiation stress. Moreover, ellagic acid also significantly increased the expression of SOD-3 by 3.61 times and the activity of superoxide dismutase by 3.70 times to clean out harmful reactive oxygen species in C. elegans exposed to ultraviolet radiation stress. In both daf-16 mutant and daf-2;daf-16 double-mutant worms exposed to ultraviolet radiation, ellagic acid could no longer prolong their lifespan. These results indicate that ellagic acid plays an important role in resisting ultraviolet radiation stress in C. elegans, probably in an insulin/IGF-1 signaling pathway-dependent way.

Phosphatases of regenerating liver (PRLs) are dual-specificity protein phosphatases. The aberrant expression of PRLs threatens human health, but their biological functions and pathogenic mechanisms are unclear yet. Herein, the structure and biological functions of PRLs were investigated using the Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). Structurally, this phosphatase in C. elegans, named PRL-1, consisted of a conserved signature sequence WPD loop and a single C(X) 5 R domain. Besides, by Western blot, immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence staining, PRL-1 was proved to mainly express in larval stages and express in intestinal tissues. Afterward, by feeding-based RNA-interference method, knockdown of prl-1 prolonged the lifespan of C. elegans but also improved their healthspan, such as locomotion, pharyngeal pumping frequency, and defecation interval time. Furthermore, the above effects of prl-1 appeared to be taken without acting on germline signaling, diet restriction pathway, insulin/ insulin-like growth factor 1 signaling pathway, and SIR-2.1 but through a DAF-16-dependent pathway. Moreover, knockdown of prl-1 induced the nuclear translocation of DAF-16, and upregulated the expression of daf-16, sod-3, mtl-1, and ctl-2. Finally, suppression of prl-1 also reduced the ROS. In conclusion, suppression of prl-1 enhanced the lifespan and survival quality of C. elegans, which provides a theoretical basis for the pathogenesis of PRLs in related human diseases.