Beneficial effects of natural antioxidants EGCG and α-lipoic acid on life span and age-dependent behavioral declines in Caenorhabditis elegans

Oxidative stress has been associated with both the aging process and the development of age-dependent tissue degenerative pathologies. Beneficial effects of antioxidant therapies to abrogate the deleterious consequences of elevated free radicals are implicated in disease prevention and cost-effective strategy. Previous data have shown protective effects of the polyphenol green tea constituent epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and a classic natural antioxidant α-lipoic acid (LA) against oxidative stress and aging. In this study, EGCG and α-lipoic acid were applied to model Caenorhabditis elegans, and their ability to modulate the life span and several age-associated behavioral declines were examined, including: pharyngeal pumping, chemotaxic behavior and amyloid β-associated pathological behavior. It was demonstrated that both antioxidants attenuated the levels of hydrogen peroxide in C. elegans, but their effects on age-dependent decline in behaviors were different. EGCG, but not α-lipoic acid, attenuated the rate of decline in pharyngeal pumping behavior in C. elegans. In contrast, α-lipoic acid, but not EGCG, extended mean and maximal life span in C. elegans. Both EGCG and α-lipoic acid were able to facilitate the chemotaxis index and this effect was additive. Furthermore, EGCG, but not α-lipoic acid, moderately alleviated an Aβ-induced pathological behavior in a transgenic C. elegans strain. These results indicate that natural antioxidants can protect against age-dependent behavioral declines. Other protective mechanisms, in addition to their antioxidant properties, may underlie their differential beneficial effects on aging and physiological behaviors.