Life span extension in Drosophila melanogaster induced by morphine

Pharmacology of Aging: Drosophila as a Tool to Validate Drug Targets for Healthy Lifespan

Finding effective therapies to manage age-related conditions is an emerging public health challenge. Although disease-targeted treatments are important, a preventive approach focused on aging can be more efficient. Pharmacological targeting of aging-related processes can extend lifespan and improve health in animal models. However, drug development and translation are particularly challenging in geroscience. Preclinical studies have survival as a major endpoint for drug screening, which requires years of research in mammalian models. Shorter-lived invertebrates can be exploited to accelerate this process. In particular, the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster allows the validation of new drug targets using precise genetic tools and proof-of-concept experiments on drugs impacting conserved aging processes. Screening for clinically approved drugs that act on aging-related targets may further accelerate translation and create new tools for aging research. To date, 31 drugs used in clinical practice have been shown to extend the lifespan of flies. Here, we describe recent advances in the pharmacology of aging, focusing on Drosophila as a tool to repurpose these drugs and study age-related processes.

Drosophila melanogaster as a Translational Model System to Explore the Impact of Phytochemicals on Human Health

Fruits, vegetables, and spices are natural sources of bioactive phytochemicals, such as polyphenols, carotenoids, flavonoids, curcuminoids, terpenoids, and capsaicinoids, possessing multiple health benefits and relatively low toxicity. These compounds found in the diet play a central role in organism development and fitness. Given the complexity of the whole-body response to dietary changes, invertebrate model organisms can be valuable tools to examine the interplay between genes, signaling pathways, and metabolism. Drosophila melanogaster, an invertebrate model with its extensively studied genome, has more than 70% gene homology to humans and has been used as a model system in biological studies for a long time. The notable advantages of Drosophila as a model system, such as their low maintenance cost, high reproductive rate, short generation time and lifespan, and the high similarity of metabolic pathways between Drosophila and mammals, have encouraged the use of Drosophila in the context of screening and evaluating the impact of phytochemicals present in the diet. Here, we review the benefits of Drosophila as a model system for use in the study of phytochemical ingestion and describe the previously reported effects of phytochemical consumption in Drosophila.

Antiaging agents: safe interventions to slow aging and healthy life span extension

Human longevity has increased dramatically during the past century. More than 20% of the 9 billion population of the world will exceed the age of 60 in 2050. Since the last three decades, some interventions and many preclinical studies have been found to show slowing aging and increasing the healthy lifespan of organisms from yeast, flies, rodents to nonhuman primates. The interventions are classified into two groups: lifestyle modifications and pharmacological/genetic manipulations. Some genetic pathways have been characterized to have a specific role in controlling aging and lifespan. Thus, all genes in the pathways are potential antiaging targets. Currently, many antiaging compounds target the calorie-restriction mimetic, autophagy induction, and putative enhancement of cell regeneration, epigenetic modulation of gene activity such as inhibition of histone deacetylases and DNA methyltransferases, are under development. It appears evident that the exploration of new targets for these antiaging agents based on biogerontological research provides an incredible opportunity for the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. The present review focus on the properties of slow aging and healthy life span extension of natural products from various biological resources, endogenous substances, drugs, and synthetic compounds, as well as the mechanisms of targets for antiaging evaluation. These bioactive compounds that could benefit healthy aging and the potential role of life span extension are discussed.

Voluntary intake of psychoactive substances is regulated by the dopamine receptor Dop1R1 in Drosophila

Dysregulated motivation to consume psychoactive substances leads to addictive behaviors that often result in serious health consequences. Understanding the neuronal mechanisms that drive drug consumption is crucial for developing new therapeutic strategies. The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster offers a unique opportunity to approach this problem with a battery of sophisticated neurogenetic tools available, but how they consume these drugs remains largely unknown. Here, we examined drug self-administration behavior of Drosophila and the underlying neuronal mechanisms. We measured the preference of flies for five different psychoactive substances using a two-choice feeding assay and monitored its long-term changes. We found that flies show acute preference for ethanol and methamphetamine, but not for cocaine, caffeine or morphine. Repeated intake of ethanol, but not methamphetamine, increased over time. Preference for methamphetamine and the long-term escalation of ethanol preference required the dopamine receptor Dop1R1 in the mushroom body. The protein level of Dop1R1 increased after repeated intake of ethanol, but not methamphetamine, which correlates with the acquired preference. Genetic overexpression of Dop1R1 enhanced ethanol preference. These results reveal a striking diversity of response to individual drugs in the fly and the role of dopamine signaling and its plastic changes in controlling voluntary intake of drugs.

Current Perspective in the Discovery of Anti-aging Agents from Natural Products

Aging is a process characterized by accumulating degenerative damages, resulting in the death of an organism ultimately. The main goal of aging research is to develop therapies that delay age-related diseases in human. Since signaling pathways in aging of Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), fruit flies and mice are evolutionarily conserved, compounds extending lifespan of them by intervening pathways of aging may be useful in treating age-related diseases in human. Natural products have special resource advantage and with few side effect. Recently, many compounds or extracts from natural products slowing aging and extending lifespan have been reported. Here we summarized these compounds or extracts and their mechanisms in increasing longevity of C. elegans or other species, and the prospect in developing anti-aging medicine from natural products.

Endogenous opiates and behavior: 2011

This paper is the thirty-fourth consecutive installment of the annual review of research concerning the endogenous opioid system. It summarizes papers published during 2011 that studied the behavioral effects of molecular, pharmacological and genetic manipulation of opioid peptides, opioid receptors, opioid agonists and opioid antagonists. The particular topics that continue to be covered include the molecular-biochemical effects and neurochemical localization studies of endogenous opioids and their receptors related to behavior (Section 2), and the roles of these opioid peptides and receptors in pain and analgesia (Section 3); stress and social status (Section 4); tolerance and dependence (Section 5); learning and memory (Section 6); eating and drinking (Section 7); alcohol and drugs of abuse (Section 8); sexual activity and hormones, pregnancy, development and endocrinology (Section 9); mental illness and mood (Section 10); seizures and neurologic disorders (Section 11); electrical-related activity and neurophysiology (Section 12); general activity and locomotion (Section 13); gastrointestinal, renal and hepatic functions (Section 14); cardiovascular responses (Section 15); respiration (Section 16); and immunological responses (Section 17).

Aloe vera or resveratrol supplementation in larval diet delays adult aging in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster

Longevity extension in Drosophila melanogaster by feeding diet supplemented with chemicals throughout adulthood can cause harmful side effects. We tested the effect of larval diet supplementation with five different concentrations of resveratrol and one concentration of Aloe vera extract on the adult longevity of short-lived D melanogaster populations. Resveratrol and A vera extract supplementation of larval diet extended adult longevity in both the male and female flies without reducing fecundity but by efficient reactive oxygen species scavenging through increased antioxidant enzymes activity and better neuroprotection as indicated by increased locomotor activity in adult males.