Aloe vera Gel Extract Prolongs Lifespan in Caenorhabditis elegans

Abstract

Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), with its superiority and physiological aging properties, has become a widely recognized model system in research on aging, longevity mechanisms, age-related diseases, and drug screening. Lifespan-extending mutations in C. elegans are known to slow the aging process by interfering with a number of signaling pathways such as the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) and insulin/IGF-1 signaling (IIS) pathways. We aimed to see how Aloe vera (A. vera) gel affects the fertilization and lifespan of C. elegans. In the presence of all A. vera gel concentrations (0.312 - 5 mg/mL), the fertilization capacity of N2 worms increased and extended their lifespan as well as increased their body size. We found that in N2 worms cultured with 2.5 mg/ml A. vera gel, sgk-1, age-1, and let-363 mRNA expression was significantly increased, while rsks-1 mRNA expression was significantly decreased. We therefore conclude that it may extend lifespan through a mechanism specifically dependent on mTOR signaling. All these observations will provide a new perspective on mammalian life extension through the model organism C. elegans.