Oxidative stress, aging and longevity in Drosophila melanogaster.
Free radicals produced during normal metabolism cause damage to macromolecules. The free radical theory of aging proposes that the organism is unable to repair all of them and that, with time, unrepaired damages accumulate and put the organism at risk: in other words, free radicals provoke aging and death. This article reviews both the results of adding antioxidants to food on longevity in Drosophila melanogaster, as well as the studies on antioxidant enzymes (inactivation in vivo, null mutants, overexpression). It is concluded that antioxidant enzymes are probably poorly connected to the normal aging process, but they allow the organism to cope with stressful conditions.
Le Bourg E
Laboratoire d'Ethologie et Cognition Animale, E.R.S. C.N.R.S. no 2382, Université Paul-Sabatier, 118 route de Narbonne, F-31062 Cedex 4, Toulouse, France. lebourg@cict.fr
D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000201:enzymology / Q000502:physiology*; D005609:Free Radicals / Q000378:metabolism*; D008017:Life Expectancy; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000502:physiology*
D000975:Antioxidants; D005609:Free Radicals