Amber is a fossilized tree resin historically used in wound healing and stress relief. Unfortunately, there is no concrete scientific evidence supporting such efficacy. Here, the stress buffering and longevity effect of Amber extract (AE) in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) was investigated. Survival assays, health span assays, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), Stress biomarker detection assays, Green Fluorescence Proteins (GFP), Real Time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and C. elegans mutants were employed to investigate the stress buffering and longevity effect of AE. In the study, it was observed that AE supplementation improved health span and survival in both normal and stressed worms. Additionally, AE positively regulated stress hormones (cortisol, oxytocin, and dopamine) and decreased fat and reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation. Through the Insulin/IGF-1 signaling (IIS) pathway, AE enhanced the nuclear localization of DAF-16 and the expression of heat shock proteins and antioxidant genes in GFP-tagged worms and at messenger RNA levels. Finally, AE failed to increase the survival of daf-16, daf-2, skn-1 and hsf-1 loss-of-function mutants, confirming the involvement of the IIS pathway. Evidently, AE supplementation relieves stress and enhances longevity. Thus, amber may be a potent nutraceutical for stress relief.

Amber, a plant resin, exhibits an anti-stress effect and is used in traditional medicine. Recently, it has been speculated that amber may possess an anti-depressive effect. However, there is no evidence to support this efficacy. Thus, this study investigated the anti-depressive and oxidative-stress-ameliorating effects of amber extract in mice subjected to restraint stress. Mice were treated with amber extract (25 and 50 mg/kg, p.o.) and bupropion (10 mg/kg, p.o.) as positive control. Mice were then subjected to a tail suspension test, and their immobility time, body weight before and after stress, levels of stress-related hormones and neurotransmitters, and oxidative stress parameters were assessed. Amber supplementation did not affect the body weight of mice in any of the groups. Amber extract (25 and 50 mg/kg) demonstrated an anti-depressive effect by significantly decreasing the immobility time and adrenocorticotropin-hormone and corticosterone-hormone levels. Moreover, amber extract at a dose of 25 mg/kg increased the levels of dopamine and serotonin. Additionally, superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione levels increased, whereas the malondialdehyde content decreased with amber supplementation. These findings confirm that amber may possess an anti-depressive effect and hence can be a useful alternative therapy for preventing and managing depression.