Research ArticleCocoa confers life span extension in Drosophila melanogaster
Introduction
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are inevitable byproducts of aerobic respiration and are known to cause modifications to DNA bases, enhance lipid peroxidation, and result in loss of protein enzymatic activity [1], [2], [3]. Under the barrage of ROS, oxidative damage builds up over time and eventually causes a gradual loss of normal physiologic function, a process known as senescence [4]. Because of the severe consequences associated with oxidative damage, aerobic organisms have developed a diversity of antioxidant defense mechanisms. Nevertheless, even under normal physiologic conditions, ROS production transcends endogenous defenses over time and inflicts damage [5].
Diet-derived antioxidants play a major role in maintaining ROS homeostasis, with the combination of dietary antioxidants and endogenous defense enzymes resulting in a highly effective defense network against oxidative stress [6]. Cocoa and its products such as dark chocolate are known to be excellent sources of polyphenol and flavonoid antioxidants that may significantly contribute to the total antioxidant capacity of diet [7], [8], [9]. Other in vivo studies revealed that cocoa consumption increases the antioxidant capacity of serum and prevents lipid peroxidation and low-density lipoprotein oxidation [10], [11], [12]. Nevertheless, despite cocoa's antioxidative role in defense against ROS being well established, its contributions to longevity and aging have not been thoroughly investigated. The objectives of this study were to investigate the oxidative properties of cocoa and their effects on life span in Drosophila melanogaster. We hypothesize that cocoa supplementation has the potential to extend D melanogaster life span, particularly in the presence of stress-related oxidative damage. The relatively short life span of this model organism, the ability to control genetic background and experimental conditions, and, finally, the availability of different antioxidant-deficient transgenic lines should facilitate a further understanding of antioxidant contributions of dietary cocoa in defense against ROS and aging. Considering that the fruit fly has been used as a model for studies on human nutrition, the results of this study should provide useful insights into the potential roles of dietary cocoa in human longevity.
Section snippets
Fly food
Drosophila melanogaster culture medium was prepared as described previously [13]. Cocoa-supplemented media were prepared by dissolving 5 or 10 g of cocoa powder (Master Choice brand, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; containing 200 g protein, 200 g fat, 200 g fiber, and 16.75 kJ of energy per 1 kg cocoa) in 100 mL of normal culture medium.
Fly stocks and maintenance
Unless specified otherwise, rosy+5 wild-type flies were used in all experiments. For RNA-interference experiments, UAS-SOD1-IR[14] and UAS-SOD2-IR[15] transgenic
Gustatory assay
Feeding behavior and nutritional constituents of a culture medium are 2 important factors in D melanogaster life span determination [18]. To ensure that any changes in life span are attributed solely to the nutritional constituents of the food, we tested adults' gustatory behavior on cocoa-supplemented medium. As Fig. 1 illustrates, adults' feeding is not affected by cocoa supplementation within the range used, indicating that any alterations in the life span are attributed to the nutritional
Acknowledgment
This research was supported through an operating grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada to Arthur J. Hilliker.
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