Lippia origanoides essential oil (LOEO) is extensively utilised as food preservative due to its antioxidant and antibacterial activities. In this study, the antioxidant and anti-ageing effects of LOEO was investigated in vivo using the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. The gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis indicated that the main components of LOEO are carvacrol and thymol. LOEO treatment improved physiological parameters such as pharyngeal pumping, locomotion and body size indicating that is not toxic to C. elegans. LOEO treatment showed antioxidant effect in C. elegans by reducing endogenous ROS (Reactive Oxygen Species) production and increasing their survival under oxidative stress. Finally, LOEO treatment significantly extended C. elegans lifespan and alleviated the paralysis induced by β-amyloid peptide overexpression in the muscle. This work demonstrates for the first time LOEO antioxidant and anti-ageing properties on an organism level providing a valuable proof of principle to support further studies in the development of nutraceuticals or antioxidant phytotherapy.
Keywords: Alzheimer disease; Antibacterial; anti-ageing; antioxidant; carvacrol; thymol.