Which is the Most Reasonable Anti-aging Strategy: Meta-analysis

Transcriptomics analyses combined with intestinal microorganism survey suggest Resveratrol (RSV) anti-aging and anti-oxidant effects in silkworm (Bombyx mori)

The growing elderly population presents a significant concern, with the prolongation of life expectancy, aging diseases are becoming increasingly common. Resveratrol (RSV) has emerged as a promising compound for disease prevention. However, the effect of RSV on lifespan extension in different organisms, particularly the model organism silkworm, remains inconsistent. We conducted aging experiments using silkworm (B. mori) and employed transcriptomics to investigate the therapeutic effects of RSV on lifespan extension and healthy lifespan in silkworms. RSV increased the survival rate by 8.57 %-12.12 % and enhanced the antioxidant capacity of silkworms. Transcriptomic analysis demonstrated that genes in signaling pathways such as AMPK and FoxO were significantly upregulated. 16SrRNA sequencing of gut contents showed an increase in beneficial bacterial strains under the action of RSV. This study aims to enhance our understanding of lifespan regulation mechanisms using the silkworm model and provide new targets for anti-aging antioxidants research to delay the onset of age-related diseases.

Toxicity evaluation of novel imidacloprid nanoribbons, using somatic mutation and fitness indexes in Drosophila melanogaster

Nanoribbons of imidacloprid, a systemic and chloronicotinyl insecticide, were successfully synthesized by laser-induced fragmentation/exfoliation of imidacloprid powders suspended in water, with widths ranging from 160 to 470 nm, lengths in the micron scale, and thickness of a few atoms layers. The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of acute and chronic exposure to imidacloprid (IMC) bulk and compare its effects with synthesized imidacloprid nanoribbons (IMCNR) on larval and adult viability, developmental time, olfactory capacity, longevity, productivity, and genotoxicity in Drosophila melanogaster. Larvae or adults were exposed at 0.01, 0.02, or 0.03 ppm to IMC or IMCNR. Results demonstrated that IMCNR produced a significant reduction in viability and olfactory ability. IMC did not significantly alter viability and olfactory ability. Similarly, marked differences on longevity were detected between treatment with IMC and IMCNR where the lifespan of males treated with IMC was significantly higher than control while IMCNR produced a reduction. As for productivity, developmental time, and genotoxicity, no marked differences were found between both forms of IMC.

Genotoxic action of bifenthrin nanoparticles and its effect on the development, productivity, and behavior of Drosophila melanogaster

Rapid development of nanotechnology, particularly nanoparticles of pesticides, has facilitated the transformation of traditional agriculture. However, testing their effectiveness is essential for avoiding any environmental or adverse human health risk attributed to nanoparticle-based formulations, especially insecticides. Recently, organic nanoparticles of bifenthrin, a pyrethroid insecticide, were successfully synthesized by laser ablation of solids in liquid technique, with the most probable size of 5 nm. The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of acute exposure to bifenthrin (BIF) or bifenthrin nanoparticles (BIFNP) on larval-adult viability, developmental time, olfactory capacity, longevity, productivity defined as the number of eggs per couple, and genotoxicity in Drosophila melanogaster. Data demonstrated that BIFNP produced a marked delay in developmental time, significant reduction in viability and olfactory ability compared to BIF. No marked differences were detected between BIF and BIFNP on longevity and productivity. Genotoxicity findings indicated that only BIF, at longer exposure duration increased genetic damage.

Nutritional senolytics and senomorphics: Implications to immune cells metabolism and aging – from theory to practice

Aging is a natural physiological process, but one that poses major challenges in an increasingly aging society prone to greater health risks such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, frailty, increased susceptibility to infection, and reduced response to vaccine regimens. The loss of capacity for cell regeneration and the surrounding tissue microenvironment itself is conditioned by genetic, metabolic, and even environmental factors, such as nutrition. The senescence of the immune system (immunosenescence) represents a challenge, especially when associated with the presence of age-related chronic inflammation (inflammaging) and affecting the metabolic programming of immune cells (immunometabolism). These aspects are linked to poorer health outcomes and therefore present an opportunity for host-directed interventions aimed at both eliminating senescent cells and curbing the underlying inflammation. Senotherapeutics are a class of drugs and natural products that delay, prevent, or reverse the senescence process – senolytics; or inhibit senescence-associated secretory phenotype – senomorphics. Natural senotherapeutics from food sources – nutritional senotherapeutics – may constitute an interesting way to achieve better age-associated outcomes through personalized nutrition. In this sense, the authors present herein a framework of nutritional senotherapeutics as an intervention targeting immunosenescence and immunometabolism, identifying research gaps in this area, and gathering information on concluded and ongoing clinical trials on this subject. Also, we present future directions and ideation for future clinical possibilities in this field.

Relationship between lifespan and somatic mutation in D. melanogaster after treatment with chlorophyllin

Sodium copper chlorophyllin (SCC) has a genetic damage inhibitory capacity due to its antioxidant action. For this reason, it was considered to investigate its role in the life span of Drosophila melanogaster and its relationship with the frequency of somatic mutation induced by gamma rays. Results indicated that SCC alone prolonged the lifespan only in females, but in combination with 20 Gy of gamma rays, the aging delay in both sexes was significant. In addition to confirming that the porphyrin reduces the frequency of mutation, the individuals with the highest mutation load are the individuals who die more quickly, and once they are eliminated, the survivor individuals treated with 20 Gy or with SCC + 20 Gy, died at the same rate. The results together indicate that SCC not only inhibits induced genetic damage, but it also has beneficial effects that probably cause an aging delay of the treated population that need to be investigated.

Polyphenols from Blumea laciniata Extended the Lifespan and Enhanced Resistance to Stress in Caenorhabditis elegans via the Insulin Signaling Pathway

Blumea laciniata is widely used as a folk medicine in Asia, but relevant literature on it is rarely reported. We confirmed that polyphenol extract (containing chlorogenic acid, rutin, and luteolin-4-O-glucoside) from B. laciniata (EBL) showed strong antioxidant ability in vitro. Hence, in this work, we applied Caenorhabditis elegans to further investigate the antioxidant and anti-ageing abilities of EBL in vivo. The results showed that EBL enhanced the survival of C. elegans under thermal stress by 12.62% and sharply reduced the reactive oxygen species level as well as the content of malonaldehyde. Moreover, EBL increased the activities of antioxidant enzymes such as catalase and superoxide dismutase. Additionally, EBL promoted DAF-16, a transcription factor, into the nucleus. Besides, EBL extended the lifespan of C. elegans by 17.39%, showing an anti-ageing effect. Different mutants indicated that the insulin/IGF-1 signaling pathway participated in the antioxidant and anti-ageing effect of EBL on C. elegans.

Learning from machine learning: prediction of age-related athletic performance decline trajectories

Factors that determine individual age-related decline rates in physical performance are poorly understood and prediction poses a challenge. Linear and quadratic regression models are usually applied, but often show high prediction errors for individual athletes. Machine learning approaches may deliver more accurate predictions and help to identify factors that determine performance decline rates. We hypothesized that it is possible to predict the performance development of a master athlete from a single measurement, that prediction by a machine learning approach is superior to prediction by the average decline curve or an individually shifted decline curve, and that athletes with a higher starting performance show a slower performance decline than those with a lower performance. The machine learning approach was implemented using a multilayer neuronal network. Results showed that performance prediction from a single measurement is possible and that the prediction by a machine learning approach was superior to the other models. The estimated performance decline rate was highest in athletes with a high starting performance and a low starting age, as well as in those with a low starting performance and high starting age, while the lowest decline rate was found for athletes with a high starting performance and a high starting age. Machine learning was superior and predicted trajectories with significantly lower prediction errors compared to conventional approaches. New insights into factors determining decline trajectories were identified by visualization of the model outputs. Machine learning models may be useful in revealing unknown factors that determine the age-related performance decline.

Current Insights in the Age-related Decline in Sports Performance of the Older Athlete

The higher performance level of master athletes compared to non-athletes is often associated with better health throughout life. However, even the physical performance of master athletes declines with age, and this decline accelerates from about the age of 70 years onwards. A progressive loss of muscle mass, declines in force- and power-generating capacity, decreased flexibility, and the concomitant decline in specific tension characterize the muscular changes underlying performance declines. In the cardiovascular system, declines in stroke volume and cardiac output, and cardiac and vascular stiffness contribute to decreasing performance. Recent studies have shown that long-term endurance exercise in master athletes does not only have positive effects, but is associated with an increased incidence of atrial fibrillation, atherosclerotic plaques, and aortic dilation, and even more so in men than in women. Recently, larger longitudinal datasets were analysed and showed that the age-related decline in performance was similar in longitudinal and cross-sectional data. In conclusion, regular physical activity enhances the exercise capacity, and hence quality of life in old age, but it is not without risks.

Longitudinal Master Track and Field Performance Decline Rates Are Lower and Performance Is Better Compared to Athletes Competing Only Once

In master athletics research, cross-sectional data are easier to obtain than longitudinal data. While cross-sectional data give the age-related performance decline for a population, longitudinal data show individual trajectories. It is not known whether athletes who repeatedly compete have (a) a better performance and (b) a slower age-related decline in performance than that obtained from cross-sectional data from athletes competing only once. To investigate this, we analyzed 33 254 results of 14 118 male athletes from 8 disciplines in the database of "Swedish Veteran Athletics." For each discipline and for the pooled data of all disciplines, quadratic models of the evolution of performance over time were analyzed by ANCOVA/ANOCOVA using MATLAB. The performance was higher in athletes with 2 or more data points compared to those with only n = 1 (p < .001), with further increases in performance with an increasing number of data points per athlete. The estimated performance decline was lower in people with 2 or more results (sprint, 10 km, jumps; p < .001). In conclusion, we showed that longitudinal data are associated with higher performance and lower performance decline rates.

COVID-19: A Challenge to Physiology of Aging

The death toll of the current COVID-19 pandemic is strongly biased toward the elderly. COVID-19 case fatality rate (CFR) increases with age exponentially, its doubling time being about 7 years, irrespective of countries and epidemic stages. The same age-dependent mortality pattern known as the Gompertz law is featured by the total mortality and its main constituents attributed to cardiovascular, metabolic, neurological, and oncological diseases. Among patients dying of COVID-19, most have at least one of these conditions, whereas none is found in most of those who pass it successfully. Thus, gerontology is indispensable in dealing with the pandemic, which becomes a benchmark for validating the gerontological concepts and advances. The two basic alternative gerontological concepts imply that either aging results from the accumulation of stochastic damage, or is programmed. Based on these different grounds, several putative anti-aging drugs have been proposed as adjuvant means for COVID-19 prevention and/or treatment. These proposals are reviewed in the context of attributing the molecular targets of these drugs to the signaling pathways between the sensors of resource availability and the molecular mechanisms that allocate resources to storage, growth and reproduction or to self-maintenance and repair. Each of the drugs appears to reproduce only a part of the physiological responses to reduced resource availability caused by either dietary calories restriction or physical activity promotion, which are the most robust means of mitigating the adverse manifestations of aging. In the pathophysiological terms, the conditions of the endothelium, which worsen as age increases and may be significantly improved by the physical activity, is a common limiting factor for the abilities to withstand both physical stresses and challenges imposed by COVID-19. However, the current anti-epidemic measures promote sedentary indoor lifestyles, at odds with the most efficient behavioral interventions known to decrease the vulnerability to both the severe forms of COVID-19 and the prevalent aging-associated diseases. To achieve a proper balance in public health approaches to COVID-19, gerontologists should be involved in crosstalk between virologists, therapists, epidemiologists, and policy makers. The present publication suggests a conceptual background for that.

Longitudinal trends in master track and field performance throughout the aging process: 83,209 results from Sweden in 16 athletics disciplines

In the research of age-related performance declines, the value of cross-sectional versus longitudinal data is an ongoing debate. This paper analyses the largest longitudinal master track and field data set ever published to compare the age-related decline in performance between 16 athletics disciplines in cross-sectional and longitudinal data. The data set contained 83,209 results (64,948 from men, 78.1%; 18,261 from women, 21.9%) from 34,132 athletes (26,186 men, 76.7%; 7946 women, 23.3%), aged 35-97 years. In 61 athletes, 20 or more, and in 312 athletes, 15 or more results were available. The data were analyzed by regression statistics/ANCOVA. Men had a higher performance than women, irrespective of discipline in both cross-sectional and longitudinal data (p < 0.001). The performance in cross-sectional data was lower compared with the longitudinal data in all events and at any age (p ≤ 0.007) except for 1000 m men. The average age was lower in the cross-sectional than the longitudinal data (p < 0.001); men 46 and 58 years, women 44 and 56 years, respectively. The annual percentage rate of decline did not differ significantly between cross-sectional and longitudinal data, or between sexes in most disciplines. Performance declines after age 70 were 1.7 times (men) and 1.4 times (women) as steep as before. In conclusion, although longitudinal master athletics data of athletes with 10 and more results has higher average performance and age compared with cross-sectional data, cross-sectional data give a good impression of the annual percentage decline in performance, which was similar in men and women.