title: Lifespan extension by n-butanol extract from seed of Platycladus orientalis in Caenorhabditis elegans.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  As a traditional Chinese medicine, seed of Platycladus orientalis(Linnaeus) Franco has been extensively used as a tonic and sedative remedy. The present study was conducted to investigate whether lifespan was extended and the mechanisms of n-butanol extract from seed of Platycladus orientalis (BSPO) in Caenorhabditis elegans. The findings could provide the pharmacological basis for a treatment in traditional medicine.
  
  
  METHODS
  Lifespan extension by BSPO was evaluated under normal culture conditions and in a stress test. A possible mechanism of the anti-aging effect of BSPO, a change in the stress-resistance of related proteins, was also investigated in C. elegans.
  
  
  RESULTS
  It has been shown that BSPO could significantly extend lifespan of C. elegans in a concentration dependent manner under normal culture conditions and stress. Further studies demonstrated that BSPO treatment significantly decreased reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, up-regulated resistance to stress of related proteins, including glutathione S-transferase-4 (GST-4) and heat shock protein-16.2 (HSP-16.2), and reduced the amount of lipofuscin in transgenic C. elegans.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results indicated that BSPO extended the lifespan, which could be attributed to its direct ROS scavenging activity, reducing the amount of lipofuscin and increasing the expression of gens associated with resistance to stress. These obtained data provided valuable support for traditional clinical practice to extend lifespan and to provide tonic remedy.
authors.affiliation: Guangdong Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, Guangzhou Quality R&D Center of Traditional Chinese Medicine, School of Life Science, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, PR China.
authors.forename: Haibin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Fengyin
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Weiwei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Mingliang
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lv
authors.forename: Peibo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Zhong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Pei
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xiang-Qun
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Lirong
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yonggang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D020001:1-Butanol / Q000737:chemistry; D000375:Aging / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D029779:Cupressaceae; D005982:Glutathione Transferase / Q000235:genetics; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D008062:Lipofuscin / Q000378:metabolism; D008136:Longevity / Q000187:drug effects*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D012639:Seeds / Q000737:chemistry; D012997:Solvents / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; D008062:Lipofuscin; D010936:Plant Extracts; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D012997:Solvents; C108431:hsp-16.2 protein, C elegans; D020001:1-Butanol; D005982:Glutathione Transferase