Identification of a Hydroxygallic Acid Derivative, Zingibroside R1 and a Sterol Lipid as Potential Active Ingredients of Cuscuta chinensis Extract That Has Neuroprotective and Antioxidant Effects in Aged Caenorhabditis elegans

Abstract

We examined the effects of the extracts from two traditional Chinese medicine plants, Cuscuta chinensis and Eucommia ulmoides, on the healthspan of the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans. C. chinensis increased the short-term memory and the mechanosensory response of aged C. elegans. Furthermore, both extracts improved the resistance towards oxidative stress, and decreased the intracellular level of reactive oxygen species. Chemical analyses of the extracts revealed the presence of several bioactive compounds such as chlorogenic acid, cinnamic acid, and quercetin. A fraction from the C. chinensis extract enriched in zingibroside R1 improved the lifespan, the survival after heat stress, and the locomotion in a manner similar to the full C. chinensis extract. Thus, zingibroside R1 could be (partly) responsible for the observed health benefits of C. chinensis. Furthermore, a hydroxygallic acid derivative and the sterol lipid 4-alpha-formyl-stigmasta-7,24(241)-dien-3-beta-ol are abundantly present in the C. chinensis extract and its most bioactive fraction, but hardly in E. ulmoides, making them good candidates to explain the overall healthspan benefits of C. chinensis compared to the specific positive effects on stress resistance by E. ulmoides. Our findings highlight the overall anti-aging effects of C. chinensis in C. elegans and provide first hints about the components responsible for these effects.

UPLC-ESI-MS/MS Profiling of Secondary Metabolites from Methanol Extracts of In Vivo and In Vitro Tissues of Daucus capillifolius Gilli (A Comparative Study)

“…Compound 16 with molecular ion peak at m/z of 185 [M-H] − was tentatively identified as hydroxy gallic acid [ 27 ].…”

The role ofCaenorhabditis elegansin the discovery of natural products for healthy aging

“…Both extracts improved the resistance towards oxidative stress, and decreased the intracellular level of ROS. 126 UPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap MS analysis allowed for metabolite identification and annotation. The authors also put efforts into unravelling the responsible single components.…”

“…110,123,124 The worm's locomotion gradually declines with age and is therefore a straightforward health span marker. The rate of body movement can be accessed with markers such as maximum bending amplitude, crawling speed on agar, [125][126][127] number of body bends during xed intervals of time or bending angle. 128 The locomotion of worms can also be measured at the cohort level.…”

Metabolome Profiling of Marrubium peregrinum L. and Marrubium friwaldskyanum Boiss Reveals Their Potential as Sources of Plant-Based Pharmaceuticals

“…To the hydroxycinnamates, specific antioxidant activities have been assigned and a decrease in proinflammatory lysophasphatidyl choline production [40]. A very recent study has shown that hydroxygallic acid derivatives are responsible for enhanced stress resistance in C. elegans, and thus display neuroprotective functions [41].…”