Aging is an inevitable process influenced by genetics, lifestyles, and environments. With the rapid social and economic development in recent decades, the proportion of the elderly has increased rapidly worldwide, and many aging-related diseases have shown an upward trend, including nervous system diseases, cardiovascular diseases, metabolic diseases, and cancer. The rising burden of aging-related diseases has become an urgent global health challenge and requires immediate attention and solutions. Natural products have been used for a long time to treat various human diseases. The primary cellular pathways that mediate the longevity-extending effects of natural products involve nutrient-sensing pathways. Among them, the sirtuin, AMP-activated protein kinase, mammalian target of rapamycin, p53, and insulin/insulin-like growth factor-1 signaling pathways are most widely studied. Several studies have reviewed the effects of individual natural compounds on aging and aging-related diseases along with the underlying mechanisms. Natural products from food sources, such as polyphenols, saponins, alkaloids, and polysaccharides, are classified as antiaging compounds that promote health and prolong lifeviavarious mechanisms. In this article, we have reviewed several recently identified natural products with potential antiaging properties and have highlighted their cellular and molecular mechanisms. The discovery and use of dietary supplements and natural products that can prevent and treat multiple aging-related diseases in humans will be beneficial. Thus, this review provides theoretical background for existing dietary supplements and natural products as potential antiaging agents.
The review highlights that LF plays a potential role in aging and longevity of various organisms and modulates major signaling pathways that influence longevity.
Jujubae Fructus, the fruit of Ziziphus jujuba Mill has been used as one of the medicine food homology species for thousands of years in China. Studies have shown that the active ingredients of Jujubae Fructus have a variety of biological effects, but its role in the aging process still lacks knowledge. Here, we investigated the effect of Jujubae Fructus extract (JE) on Caenorhabditis elegans lifespan and its potential mechanism. The lifespan of C. elegans treated with JE was signifificantly increased in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, JE treatment prolonged the reproductive period and increased normal activity during aging in C. elegans. Similarly, JE supplementation also enhanced the resistance to heat and oxidative stress in C. elegans. Furthermore, the mutant worms' lifespan assays demonstrated that JE requires daf-16 to prolong lifespan. DAF-16::GFP analysis of TJ356 showed that JE treatment translocates DAF-16::GFP to nucleus in transgenic worms. By analyzing the downstream of daf-16, we identify that JE may regulate sod3 downstream of daf-16. Mutant worms' lifespan and transgenic reporter gene expression assays revealed that increasing SOD-3 expression was critical for extending longevity in C. elegans with JE therapy. Collectively, these data indicate that JE may have an important role in C. elegans longevity that is dependent on DAF-16 and SOD-3.
1 August 2018 in International Journal of Biological Macromolecules
The Hippo pathway is pervasively activated and has been well recognized to play critical roles in human cancer. The deregulation of Hippo signaling involved in cancer development, progression, and resistance to cancer treatment have been confirmed in several human cancers. Its biological significance and deregulation in cancer have drawn increasing interest in the past few years. A fundamental understanding of the complexity of the Hippo pathway in cancer is crucial for improving future clinical interventions and therapy for cancers. In this review, we try to clarify the complex regulation and function of the Hippo signaling network in cancer development, including its role in signal transduction, metabolic regulation, and tumor development, as well as tumor therapies targeting the Hippo pathway.
11 March 2019 in International Journal of Endocrinology
Introduction. Gut microbiota is involved in the progression of metabolic diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. The ob/ob and db/db mice are extensively used as models in studies on the pathogenesis of these diseases. The goal of this study is to characterize the composition and structure of gut microbiota in these model mice at different ages. Materials and methods. High-throughput sequencing was used to obtain the sequences of the highly variable 16S rRNA V3-V4 region from fecal samples. The taxa with high abundance in both model mice were identified by bioinformatics analysis. Moreover, the taxa with divergent abundance in one model mice at different ages or in both model mice at the same age were also recognized. Discussion and conclusion. The high abundance of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes in microbiota composition and their imbalanced ratio in both model mice reflect the state of metabolic disorders of these mice. Differences in microbiota composition between the two model mice of the same age or in one model mice with different ages were assumed to be closely linked to the fluctuation of their blood glucose levels with age. The data on gut microbiota in ob/ob and db/db mice investigated herein has broad implications for the pathogenesis study and drug discovery on obesity and related complications.