Jujube (Ziziphus Jujuba Mill.) fruit feeding extends lifespan and increases tolerance to environmental stresses by regulating aging-associated gene expression in Drosophila

1. Biogerontology. 2017 Apr;18(2):263-273. doi: 10.1007/s10522-017-9686-8. Epub 2017
Mar 1.

Jujube (Ziziphus Jujuba Mill.) fruit feeding extends lifespan and increases
tolerance to environmental stresses by regulating aging-associated gene
expression in Drosophila.

Ghimire S(1), Kim MS(2).

Author information:
(1)College of Pharmacy, Inje University, Inje-ro 197, Gimhae, Gyeongnam, 621-749,
Republic of Korea.
(2)College of Pharmacy, Inje University, Inje-ro 197, Gimhae, Gyeongnam, 621-749,
Republic of Korea. .

Jujube (Ziziphus Jujuba Mill.) fruit has been utilized as an adjunct to alleviate
medical symptoms including, but not limited to, anorexia, fatigue, anxiety and
mild diarrhea for centuries. Despite a growing body of literature revealing
jujube fruit’s health promoting properties such as anti-cancer, anti-inflammation
and anti-oxidant effects (shown with cell-based in vitro platforms), there is a
paucity of studies systemically examining its impact on whole organisms or
throughout the entire course of life utilizing in vivo model systems. Thus, here
in this study, we conducted a series of experiments to investigate if jujube
fruit can modify an organism’s longevity using a live Drosophila model. We found
that jujube fruit feeding extended not only lifespan but also healthspan examined
by stress assays such as starvation and paraquat treatment. In an effort to shed
light on the mechanisms of these jujube-related benefits at the molecular level,
we report that messenger RNA (mRNA) levels of 14-3-3ε, a negative FoxO (Forkhead
box O transcription factor) regulator, was dramatically diminished while the
abundance of d4E-BP mRNA transcript (drosophila eukaryotic translation initiation
factor 4E binding protein), a FoxO target gene, was increased, suggesting
enhanced FoxO activity with jujube fruit feeding. In conclusion, we hope our
results will lead to multidisciplinary research to investigate the potential
benefit of jujube fruit as a novel anti-aging agent.

DOI: 10.1007/s10522-017-9686-8
PMID: 28251407 [Indexed for MEDLINE]

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