Scientific Publications by FDA Staff

Age 2013 Aug;35(4):1117-32

A botanical containing freeze dried acai pulp promotes healthy aging and reduces oxidative damage in sod1 knockdown flies.

Laslo M, Sun X, Hsiao CT, Wu WW, Shen RF, Zou S

Superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1), a critical enzyme against oxidative stress, is implicated in aging and degenerative diseases. We previously showed that a nutraceutical containing freeze-dried acai pulp promotes survival of flies fed a high-fat diet or sod1 knockdown flies fed a standard diet. Here, we investigated the effect of acai supplementation initiated at the early or late young adulthood on lifespan, physiological function, and oxidative damage in sod1 knockdown flies. We found that Acai supplementation extended lifespan even when started at the age of 10 days, which is the time shortly before the mortality rate of flies accelerated. Life-long acai supplementation increased lifetime reproductive output in sod1 knockdown flies. Our molecular studies indicate that acai supplementation reduced the protein levels of genes involved in oxidative stress response, cellular growth, and nutrient metabolism. Acai supplementation also affected the protein levels of ribosomal proteins. In addition, acai supplementation decreased the transcript levels of genes involved in oxidative stress response and gluconeogenesis, while increasing the transcript levels of mitochondrial biogenesis genes. Moreover, acai supplementation reduced the level of 4-hydroxynonenal-protein adducts, a lipid peroxidation marker. Our findings suggest that acai supplementation promotes healthy aging in sod1-deficient flies partly through reducing oxidative damage, and modulating nutrient metabolism and oxidative stress response pathways. Our findings provide a foundation to further evaluate the viability of using acai as an effective dietary intervention to promote healthy aging and alleviate symptoms of diseases with a high level of oxidative stress.