Low methyl-esterified ginseng homogalacturonan pectins promote longevity of Caenorhabditis elegans via impairing insulin/IGF-1 signalling.

Jiayi Wang, Yuan Wang, Xuejiao Xu, Chengcheng Song, Yuwei Zhou, Dongxue Xue, Zhangkai Feng, Yifa Zhou, Xiaoxue Li

Engineering Research Center of Glycoconjugates of the Ministry of Education, The Key Laboratory of Molecular Epigenetics of the Ministry of Education, School of Life Science, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China; School of Chemistry and Life Science, Changchun University of Technology, Changchun 130012, China.Engineering Research Center of Glycoconjugates of the Ministry of Education, The Key Laboratory of Molecular Epigenetics of the Ministry of Education, School of Life Science, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China; School of Chemistry and Life Science, Changchun University of Technology, Changchun 130012, China. · pubmed

Paper

Abstract

Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer (ginseng) is a medicinal plant widely used for promoting longevity. Recently, homogalacturonan (HG) domain-rich pectins purified from some plants have been reported to have anti-aging-related activities, leading us to explore the longevity-promoting activity of the HG pectins from ginseng. In this study, we discovered that two of low methyl-esterified ginseng HG pectins (named as WGPA-2-HG and WGPA-3-HG), whose degree of methyl-esterification (DM) was 16 % and 8 % respectively, promoted longevity in Caenorhabditis elegans. Results showed that WGPA-2-HG/WGPA-3-HG impaired insulin/insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) signalling (IIS) pathway, thereby increasing the nuclear accumulation of transcription factors SKN-1/Nrf2 and DAF-16/FOXO and enhancing the expression of relevant anti-aging genes. BLI and ITC analysis showed that the insulin-receptor binding, the first step to activate IIS pathway, was impeded by the engagement of WGPA-2-HG/WGPA-3-HG with insulin. By chemical modifications, we found that high methyl-esterification of WGPA-2-HG/WGPA-3-HG was detrimental for their longevity-promoting activity. These findings provided novel insight into the precise molecular mechanism for the longevity-promoting effect of ginseng pectins, and suggested a potential to utilize the ginseng HG pectins with appropriate DM values as natural nutrients for increasing human longevity.

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Research summary

The paper investigates the effects of ginseng-derived pectins on longevity in Caenorhabditis elegans, specifically focusing on the impairment of insulin/IGF-1 signaling, which is a key pathway associated with aging. This aligns with the exploration of mechanisms that could potentially influence lifespan extension. However, while the findings contribute to the understanding of natural compounds and their effects on aging, the impact is limited as it primarily involves model organisms and does not directly translate to human applications or provide groundbreaking insights into the fundamental biology of aging.

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