The Molecular Mechanism of Rosmarinic Acid Extending the Lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans

Rosmarinic acid, a polyphenol-containing hydroxy acid, is believed to have many activities, such as anti-oxidation, anti-inflammatory, immune regulation, anti-thrombosis generation, anti-baterial, anti-virus and anti-depressants. It is used commercially for food preservation. Here we report that rosmarinic acid extended the lifespan of the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) under normal culture conditions (25 degrees C) and under thermal stress (35 degrees C). C. elegans dieted rosmarinic acid with final concentration 50mg / L and 100mg / L under two kind of conditions were shown to have extended lifespan compared to the control without rosmarinic acid uptake. Furthermore, the rosmarinic acid with final concentration 50mg/L had more obvious longevity-extending effect. The precise mechanism(s) responsible for this remains to be identified. To study the anti-senescence molecular mechanism of rosmarinic acid, semi-quantitative RT-PCR was used to analyze the expression of aging-associated genes such as daf-16 and heat shock protein 16.2 (hsp-16.2). As a result, the expression of aging-associated genes was up-regulated. This study suggested that rosmarinic acid significantly extends the lifespan of C. elegans through up-regulating some genes' expression such as daf-16 and hsp-16.2 which will provide important reference for antiaging research of rosmarinic acid.