Unraveling anti-aging mystery of green tea in C. elegans: Chemical truth and multiple mechanisms.

Jia-Ping Ke, Jia-Yi Li, Zi Yang, Hao-Yue Wu, Jing-Ya Yu, Yi Yang, Chen-Hui Chen, Peng Zhou, Fang Hua, Wei Wang, Fenglin Hu, Gang-Xiu Chu, Xiao-Chun Wan, Guan-Hu Bao

Natural Products Laboratory, International Joint Laboratory of Tea Chemistry and Health Effects, State Key Laboratory of Tea Plant Biology and Utilization, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, People's Republic of China.Natural Products Laboratory, International Joint Laboratory of Tea Chemistry and Health Effects, State Key Laboratory of Tea Plant Biology and Utilization, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, People's Republic of China. · pubmed

Paper

Abstract

Tea drinking impacts aging and aging-related diseases. However, knowledge of anti-aging molecules other than the major catechins in complex tea extracts remains limited. Here we used Caenorhabditis elegans to analyze the longevity effects of tea extracts and constituents comprehensively. We found that the hot water extract of green tea prolonged lifespan and heathspan. Further, the MeOH fraction prolonged lifespan significantly longer than other fractions. Correlation analysis between mass spectroscopic data and anti-aging activity suggests that ester-type catechins (ETCs) are the major anti-aging components, including 4 common ETCs, 6 phenylpropanoid-substituted ester-type catechins (PSECs), 5 cinnamoylated catechins (CCs), 7 ester-type flavoalkaloids (ETFs), and 4 cinnamoylated flavoalkaloids (CFs). CFs (200 μM) are the strongest anti-aging ETCs (with the longest 73% lifespan extension). Green tea hot water extracts and ETCs improved healthspan by enhancing stress resistance and reducing ROS accumulation. The mechanistic study suggests that they work by multiple pathways. Moreover, ETCs modulated gut microbial homeostasis, increased the content of short-chain fatty acids, and reduced fat content. Altogether, our study provides new evidence for the anti-aging benefits of green tea and insights into a deep understanding of the chemical truth and multi-target mechanism.

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Research summary

The paper investigates the anti-aging properties of green tea extracts and their constituents using C. elegans, which is a relevant model organism for longevity research. It identifies specific compounds that may contribute to lifespan extension and healthspan improvement, thus addressing mechanisms related to aging. However, while the findings are solid and contribute to the understanding of dietary influences on aging, they do not present groundbreaking insights or transformative implications for the field, resulting in a moderate impact score.

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