The Use of the Nematode Caenorhabditis Elegans to Study Antioxidant and Longevity-Promoting Plant Secondary Metabolites

Abstract

Oxidative stress is implicated in the pathophysiology of aging and agerelated health conditions, such as cancer, cardiovascular disorders and neurodegenerative diseases; therefore, the supplementation of diet with plant-derived antioxidants is recognized as a potential strategy to delay or even prevent the onset of age-related diseases. Among the model organisms commonly used in the early phases of anti-aging drug discovery, the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has proven useful for investigating the bioactivity of complex extracts and isolated plant secondary metabolites. In this chapter, we have reviewed recent studies on the antioxidant, longevity-promoting and neuroprotective activities of polyphenol-rich plant extracts in C. elegans, with particular focus on the highly conserved insulin/IGF-1 signaling pathway.

Keywords: Age-related diseases, Alzheimer’s disease, Amyloid beta, Anti-aging, Antioxidant, Caenorhabditis elegans, DAF-16, GFP, HSF-1, Huntington’s disease, IIS pathway, Neuroprotection, oxidative stress, Pplant extracts, Polyglutamine, Polyphenols, Protein aggregation, ROS, Secondary metabolites, SKN-1.