Comprehensive evaluation of lifespan-extending molecules in C. elegans

Abstract

The nematode C. elegans has long served as a gold-standard model organism in aging research, particularly since the discovery of long-lived mutants in conserved aging pathways including daf-2 (IGF1) and age-1 (PI3K). Its short lifespan and small size make it highly suitable for high throughput experiments. While numerous molecules have been tested for their effects on C. elegans lifespan, consensus is still lacking regarding the most effective and reproducible compounds. Confounding effects, especially those related to drug-bacteria interactions, remain a contentious issue in the literature. In this study, we evaluated 16 of the most frequently reported lifespan-extending molecules in C. elegans, examining their effects on lifespan with two different diets (live and UV-killed OP50). In addition, we assessed the compounds impact on bacterial growth, their effects on various nematode strains, and the impact of the starting age of treatment. Our findings first confirmed robust lifespan extension with many, but not all, of the 16 tested compounds from the literature, and revealed that some of them could be combined to get synergistic effects. Additionally, we showed that some of these compounds also extend lifespan in the fly D. melanogaster, demonstrating a conserved effect across species. Finally, by expanding our screen to a broader pool of molecules, we identified novel lifespan-extending compounds in C. elegans.