The role of nutrition and oxidative stress as aging factors in .

The molecular mechanism of aging, which has been a "black box" for many years, has been elucidated in recent years, and the nematode , which is a model animal for aging research, has played a major role in its elucidation. From the analysis of longevity-related mutant genes, many signal transduction systems, with the insulin/insulin-like growth factor signal transduction system at the core, have emerged. It has become clear that this signal transduction system is greatly affected by external nutrients and is involved in the downstream regulation of oxidative stress, which is considered to be one of the main causes of aging.

extends lifespan through activation of DAF-16-mediated antioxidant pathway in .

bacteria, which are widely used as fermented starter for dairy production, exert various beneficial health effects. Nevertheless, even though pro-longevity effects of various probiotics have been reported, no report has described effects on longevity. This study was conducted to evaluate effects on lifespan extension and to elucidate the -mediated longevity mechanism using worms as a model animal.

Interaction between the ins/IGF-1 and p38 MAPK signaling pathways in molecular compensation of genes and modulation related to intracellular ROS levels in .

Superoxide dismutases, which catalytically remove intracellular superoxide radicals by the disproportionation of molecular oxygen and hydrogen peroxide, are encoded by the to genes in the nematode . Expression of the genes is mutually compensatory for the modulation of intracellular oxidative stress during aging. Interestingly, several-fold higher expression of the to was induced in a deletion mutant, despite the low expression levels of in wild-type animals.

Relationship between Serum Antioxidative Vitamin Concentrations and Type 2 Diabetes in Japanese Subjects.

A high intake of green leafy vegetables rich in antioxidative nutrients such as vitamin C and β-carotene may protect against the risk of type 2 diabetes. Measurement of the circulating nutrient concentrations can indicate the nutrient status more directly, and vitamin C and carotenoids are recognized as good biomarkers for the intake of fruits and vegetables. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between serum antioxidative vitamin concentrations and type 2 diabetes in Japanese subjects.

Isolation of lactic acid bacteria capable of reducing environmental alkyl and fatty acid hydroperoxides, and the effect of their oral administration on oxidative-stressed nematodes and rats.

Reinforcement of the hydroperoxide-eliminating activity in the small and large intestines should prevent associated diseases. We previously isolated a lactic acid bacterium, Pediococcus pentosaceus Be1 that facilitates a 2-electron reduction of hydrogen peroxide to water. In this study, we successfully isolated an alternative lactic acid bacterium, Lactobacillus plantarum P1-2, that can efficiently reduce environmental alkyl hydroperoxides and fatty acid hydroperoxides to their corresponding hydroxyl derivatives through a 2-electron reduction.

Uric acid, ferritin and γ-glutamyltransferase can be informative in prediction of the oxidative stress.

The anti-oxidant system is affected not only by aging but also many lifestyle factors. We aimed to clarify the determinants of medical check-up items affecting the anti-oxidant system. We studied 959 Japanese individuals who underwent anti-aging health check-ups (mean age: 61.

Metabolic Biomarkers in Nematode C. elegans During Aging.

Changes in energy metabolism occur not only in diseases such as cancer but also in the normal development and aging processes of various organisms. These metabolic changes result to lead to imbalances in energy metabolism related to cellular and tissue homeostasis. In the model organism C.

Small-Scale Colorimetric Assays of Intracellular Lactate and Pyruvate in the Nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.

Lactate and pyruvate are key intermediates of intracellular energy metabolic pathways. Monitoring the lactate/pyruvate ratio in cells helps to determine whether there is an imbalance in age-related energy metabolism between mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and aerobic glycolysis. Here, we show the utilization of commercial colorimetric assay kits for lactate and pyruvate in the model organism C.

Impaired p53/CEP-1 is associated with lifespan extension through an age-related imbalance in the energy metabolism of C. elegans.

In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, the mammalian tumor suppressor p53 ortholog CEP-1 mediates the stress response, activates germ line apoptosis and regulates meiotic chromosome segregation. A reduction in its expression, which frequently occurs in mammalian cancer cells, extends lifespan and induces an adaptive response in C. elegans.

Endogenous reactive oxygen species cause astrocyte defects and neuronal dysfunctions in the hippocampus: a new model for aging brain.

The etiology of astrocyte dysfunction is not well understood even though neuronal defects have been extensively studied in a variety of neuronal degenerative diseases. Astrocyte defects could be triggered by the oxidative stress that occurs during physiological aging. Here, we provide evidence that intracellular or mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) at physiological levels can cause hippocampal (neuronal) dysfunctions.

Preparation of Clinically Useful Sennoside-reduced Rhubarb.

Objective: The aim of this study was to develop a method of removing sennoside to reduce the cathartic effect of rhubarb while conserving its other pharmacological activities.

Methods: Rhubarb powder was steam autoclaved at 121°C and 0.14 MPa for 20, 60, or 120 minutes, and HPLC analysis was conducted to determine levels of rhubarb components.

Infertility and recurrent miscarriage with complex II deficiency-dependent mitochondrial oxidative stress in animal models.

Oxidative stress is associated with some forms of both male and female infertility. However, there is insufficient knowledge of the influence of oxidative stress on the maintenance of a viable pregnancy, including pregnancy complications and fetal development. There are a number of animal models for understanding age-dependent decrease of reproductive ability and diabetic embryopathy, especially abnormal spermatogenesis, oogenesis and embryogenesis with mitochondrial dysfunctions.

Survey of Attitudes of Japanese Women Toward Genetic/Genomic Research.

Previous surveys have suggested that elderly Japanese women have the lowest scientific interest and literacy within the Japanese population and among populations across Western countries. Because recent tremendous advances in genome analysis are likely to be incorporated into standard biomedical assessments throughout the world, we conducted surveys to investigate the attitudes toward genetic/genomic research of Japanese women aged between 55 and 65 years. Current surveys indicate that obtaining adequate informed consent from elderly Japanese women is complicated.

Association between insulin resistance and plasma amino acid profile in non-diabetic Japanese subjects.

Aims/introduction: Elevation of the branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), valine, leucine and isoleucine; and the aromatic amino acids, tyrosine and phenylalanine, has been observed in obesity-related insulin resistance. However, there have been few studies on Asians, who are generally less obese and less insulin-resistant than Caucasian or African-Americans. In the present study, we investigated the relationship between homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and plasma amino acid concentration in non-diabetic Japanese participants.

Ethyl methanesulfonate induces mutations in Caenorhabditis elegans embryos at a high frequency.

Mutagenesis protocols typically call for exposure of late-stage larvae or adults to a mutagen with the intention of inducing mutations in a robust germ line. Instead, ca. 16,000 CB665 [unc-58(e665)] one- to four-cell embryos of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans were hand selected and exposed to ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) for 50min.

Genetically induced oxidative stress in mice causes thrombocytosis, splenomegaly and placental angiodysplasia that leads to recurrent abortion.

Historical data in the 1950s suggests that 7%, 11%, 33%, and 87% of couples were infertile by ages 30, 35, 40 and 45, respectively. Up to 22.3% of infertile couples have unexplained infertility.

Haploinsufficiency of akt1 prolongs the lifespan of mice.

There is increasing evidence that nutrient-sensing machinery is critically involved in the regulation of aging. The insulin/insulin-like growth factor-1 signaling pathway is the best-characterized pathway with an influence on longevity in a variety of organisms, ranging from yeast to rodents. Reduced expression of the receptor for this pathway has been reported to prolong the lifespan; however, the underlying mechanisms are largely unknown.

Conserved SAMS function in regulating egg-laying in C. elegans.

S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) is an intermediate metabolite of methionine and serves as the methyl donor for many biological methylation reactions. The synthesis of SAM is catalyzed by SAM synthetase (SAMS), which transfers the adenosyl moiety of adenosine-5'-triphosphate to methionine. In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, four sams family genes, sams-1, -3, -4 and -5, are predicted to encode SAMS proteins.

Model animals for the study of oxidative stress from complex II.

Mitochondria play a role of energy production and produce intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), especially superoxide anion (O2(-)) as a byproduct of energy metabolism at the same time. O2(-) is converted from oxygen and is overproduced by excessive electron leakage from the mitochondrial respiratory chain. It is well known that mitochondrial complexes I and III in the electron transport system are the major endogenous ROS sources.

Oxidative stress induced inflammation initiates functional decline of tear production.

Oxidative damage and inflammation are proposed to be involved in an age-related functional decline of exocrine glands. However, the molecular mechanism of how oxidative stress affects the secretory function of exocrine glands is unclear. We developed a novel mev-1 conditional transgenic mouse model (Tet-mev-1) using a modified tetracycline system (Tet-On/Off system).

A new mouse model of dry eye disease: oxidative stress affects functional decline in the lacrimal gland.

Purpose: Oxidative damage and inflammation are proposed to be involved in the age-related functional decline of lacrimal glands. The molecular mechanism(s) of how oxidative stress affects the secretory function of lacrimal glands was investigated because this is currently unclear.

Methods: We used a novel mev-1 conditional transgenic mouse model (Tet-mev-1) with a modified tetracycline system.