Natto (Fermented Soybean) Extract Extends the Adult Lifespan of <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i>

AbstractCaenorhabditis elegans typically feeds on rotting fruit and plant material in a fluctuating natural habitat, a boom-and-bust lifestyle. Moreover, stage specific developmental responses to low food concentration suggest that starvation-like conditions are a regular occurrence. In order to assess variation in the C. elegans starvation response under precisely controlled conditions and simultaneously phenotype a large number of individuals with high precision, we have developed a microfluidic device that, when combined with image scanning technology, allows for high-throughput assessment at a temporal resolution not previously feasible and applied this to a large mapping panel of fully sequenced intercross lines. Under these conditions worms exhibit a markedly reduced adult lifespan with strain-dependent variation in starvation resistance, ranging from <24 hours to ∼120 hours. Genome-wide mapping of the responses of more than 7,855 individuals identified four quantitative trait loci (QTL) of large effects. Three of these loci are associated with single genes (ash-2, exc-6, and dpy-28) and the fourth is a ∼26 KB region on Chromosome V encompassing several genes. Backcross with selection confirmed the effect of the Chromosome V locus. Segregating natural variation for starvation response in this species suggests that different isolates may use different strategies (facultative vivipary versus reproductive diapause) for dealing with extreme food deprivation.

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Faculty Opinions recommendation of Modulated microRNA expression during adult lifespan in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature ◽

10.3410/f.1168016.630123 ◽

2009 ◽

Author(s):

Paolo Rossi

Keyword(s):

Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽

Microrna Expression ◽

Adult Lifespan

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Improvement of Experimentally Induced Hepatic and Renal Disorders in Rats using Lactic Acid Bacteria-fermented Soybean Extract (Biofermentics™)

Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine ◽

10.1093/ecam/nem126 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 6 (3) ◽

pp. 357-363 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ryoichi Shin ◽

Momoyo Suzuki ◽

Takeo Mizutani ◽

Nobuyuki Susa

Keyword(s):

Lactic Acid ◽

Lactic Acid Bacteria ◽

Experimental Models ◽

Control Group ◽

Renal Disorders ◽

Fermented Soybean ◽

Malondialdehyde Formation ◽

Soybean Extract

The effects of lactic acid bacteria-fermented soybean extract (Biofermentics™; BF) on experimental models of hepatic and renal disorders were investigatedin vivoandin vitro. In rat, hepatitis induced by feeding of deoxycholic acid (DCA, 0.5 wt/wt,n= 6) or intraperitoneal injection ofd-galactosamine (GMN, 500 mg/body wt,n= 6), the increase in serum AST (aspartate aminotransferase) and ALT (alanine aminotransferase) levels were inhibited significantly (P< 0.05) by feeding a diet containing 5% dried BF. Moreover, the BF-administered rat group showed lower concentrations of blood urea nitrogen and a larger amount of urine as compared with values in the control group. Pretreatment of primary cell cultures of rat hepatic and renal cells with BF prior to exposure to dichromate (K2Cr2O7) resulted in a marked decrease of dichromate-induced cytotoxicity as evaluated by the leakage of lactate dehydrogenase The levels of dichromate-induced lipid peroxidation, as monitored by malondialdehyde formation, were also reduced by pretreatment of hepatocytes with BF. These results suggest that BF may play a role in hepatic and renal disorders, and may be useful for maintaining health in humans as well.

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