Dietary Intake ofCurcuma longaandEmblica officinalisIncreases Life Span inDrosophila melanogaster

Abstract

Intake of food and nutrition plays a major role in affecting aging process and longevity. However, the precise mechanisms underlying the ageing process are still unclear. To this respect, diet has been considered to be a determinant of ageing process. In order to better illustrate this, we used Drosophila melanogaster as a model and fed them orally with different concentrations of two commonly used Indian medicinal plant products, Curcuma longa (rhizome) and Emblica officinalis (fruit). The results revealed significant increase in life span of Drosophila flies on exposure to both the plant products, more efficiently by C. Longa than by E. officinalis. In order to understand whether the increase in lifespan was due to high-antioxidant properties of these medicinal plants, we performed enzymatic assays to assess the SOD and catalase activities in case of both treated and control Drosophila flies. Interestingly, the results support the free radical theory of aging as both these plant derivatives show high reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging activities.

Phyllanthus emblica L. (amla) branch: A safe and effective ingredient against skin aging

“… 1 It has been used for treatment of illnesses in traditional medicines, including Indian traditional healthcare system, Tibetan medicine, Sri Lankan medicine, Chinese herbal medicine, and Thai medicinal system. 2 Amla demonstrates several biological activities, including antioxidant, 3 anti-cancer activity, 4 , 5 anti-diabetic activity, 6 anti-inflammatory activity, 7 , 8 anti-microbial activity, 9 treatment of gastric ailments, 10 , 11 adaptogenic activity, 3 rejuvenating, 1 , 12 and promoting health and longevity 13 , 14 (details of each activity shown in Table A ). Also, it is a rich source of nutrients, such as amino acids, vitamin C, carbohydrates, alkaloids, and phenolic acids.…”

Traditional tonifying polyherbal infusion, Jatu-Phala-Tiga, exerts antioxidant activities and extends lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans

“…Only few studies have been done to determine the cytoprotective and life span prolonging effects of JPT’s component. P. emblica was found to extend the lifespan and influence some fitness characters in Drosophila melanogaster [32]. The bark of T. arjuna [33] and fruits of T. chebula [34], T. bellirica , and P. emblica [35] were found to have protective effect against oxidative stress induced cell damage.…”

Nutrigenomics as a tool to study the impact of diet on aging and age-related diseases: the Drosophila approach

“…Likewise, SC100, a preparation which consists of four herbal extracts containing Astragalus membranaceus root, Pterocarpus marsupium bark, pine bark oligo-proanthocyanidins, and L-theanine predicted to modulate the expression of many age- and stress-related genes and it extended the longevity of Drosophila flies under certain environmental conditions, such as housing size and population density [145]. Last but not the least, exposure to extracts from two commonly used Indian medicinal plants, namely, Curcuma longa (rhizome) and Emblica officinalis (fruit) could significantly increase flies’ lifespan [146]. Thus, extracts obtained from plants provide a precious source of natural products that can improve healthspan and/or promote longevity.…”