Longevity-promoting properties of ginger extract in Caenorhabditis elegans via the insulin/IGF-1 signaling pathway

Food Funct. 2022 Oct 3;13(19):9893-9903. doi: 10.1039/d2fo01602h.

Abstract

Ginger is a traditional medicinal and edible plant with multiple health-promoting properties. Nevertheless, the effects and potential mechanism of ginger on antiaging remain unknown. The aim of this study was to comprehend the antiaging effects and potential mechanism of ginger in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). The current findings showed that the lifespan of C. elegans was prolonged by 23.16% with the supplementation of 60 μg mL-1 ginger extract (GE), and the extension of lifespan was mainly attributed to the major bioactive compounds in GE, 6-, 8-, 10-gingerol and 6-, 8-, 10-shogaol. Subsequently, GE promoted healthy aging by improving nematode movement and attenuating lipofuscin accumulation, and enhanced stress tolerance by up-regulating the expression of stress-related genes and activating DAF-16 and SKN-1. Moreover, lifespan assays of relative mutants revealed that GE mediated extension of lifespan via the insulin/IGF-1 signaling (IIS) pathway. In summary, GE endowed nematodes (C. elegans) with longevity and stress resistance in an IIS pathway dependent manner.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins* / genetics
  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins* / metabolism
  • Caenorhabditis elegans* / metabolism
  • Forkhead Transcription Factors / genetics
  • Forkhead Transcription Factors / metabolism
  • Insulin / metabolism
  • Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / genetics
  • Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / metabolism
  • Lipofuscin / metabolism
  • Longevity
  • Oxidative Stress
  • Plant Extracts
  • Signal Transduction
  • Zingiber officinale

Substances

  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins
  • Forkhead Transcription Factors
  • Insulin
  • Lipofuscin
  • Plant Extracts
  • Insulin-Like Growth Factor I
  • ginger extract