AUTHOR=Du Xiaocui , Guan Yun , Huang Qin , Lv Ming , He Xiaofang , Yan Liang , Hayashi Shuhei , Fang Chongye , Wang Xuanjun , Sheng Jun 

TITLE=Low Concentrations of Caffeine and Its Analogs Extend the Lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans by Modulating IGF-1-Like Pathway

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience

VOLUME=10

YEAR=2018

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/aging-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2018.00211

DOI=10.3389/fnagi.2018.00211

ISSN=1663-4365

ABSTRACT=<p>Caffeine has been reported to delay aging and protect aging-associated disorders in <italic>Caenorhabditis elegans</italic>. However, the effects of low concentration of caffeine and its analogs on lifespan are currently missing. Herein, we report that at much lower concentrations (as low as 10 μg/ml), caffeine extended the lifespan of <italic>C. elegans</italic> without affecting food intake and reproduction. The effect of caffeine was dependent on IGF-1-like pathway, although the insulin receptor homolog, <italic>daf-2</italic> allele, <italic>e1371</italic>, was dispensable. Four caffeine analogs, 1-methylxanthine, 7-methylxanthine, 1,3-dimethylxanthine, and 1,7-dimethylxanthine, also extended lifespan, whereas 3-methylxanthine and 3,7-dimethylxanthine did not exhibit lifespan-extending activity.</p>