ABSTRACT
Background@#Consumption and abuse of alcohol remains a significant cause of concern worldwide. Furthermore, there is evidence of the association between chronic alcohol use and reduced life expectancy. @*Objectives@#To study the effects of Garcinia binucao extract (GBE) supplementation on lifespan of Drosophila melanogaster, in the presence or absence of chronic alcohol exposure.@*Methods@#D. melanogaster was mass cultured and given GBE supplementation in high (1 mg/mL) and low (200 µg/mL) sublethal doses. D. melanogaster flies were divided into groups - with and without chronic alcohol exposure, and their respective lifespans were monitored. @*Results@#In D. melanogaster without alcohol exposure, mean lifespan was highest in the control flies (38.15 days), followed by high-dose GBE (34.42 days), low-dose GBE (33.24 days), and DMSO (22.29 days). In D. melanogaster chronically exposed to alcohol, the longest mean lifespan was observed in flies treated with high-dose GBE (33.80 days), followed by low-dose GBE (33.63 days), the DMSO group (30.30), and the control group (29.65 days), but the differences were not statistically significant. Comparing groups with and without chronic alcohol exposure, the mean lifespan of the control group chronically exposed to alcohol significantly decreased by 9.51 days (p < 0.05). In GBE treatment groups, mean lifespan significantly decreased by 0.82 days in high-dose set-up (p < 0.05), and significantly increased by 0.39 days in the low-dose set-up (p < 0.05) upon chronic alcohol exposure. @*Conclusion@#Garcinia binucao extract supplementation ameliorated the observed reduction in lifespan of Drosophila melanogaster chronically exposed to alcohol.
Subject(s)
Drosophila melanogaster , LongevityABSTRACT
@#<p><strong>OBJECTIVE:</strong> To evaluate potential effects of the aqueous extract of Quassia amara L. leaves on the cardiovascular and respiratory systems of adult male Sprague- Dawley rats.</p><p><strong>METHODS:</strong> The cardiovascular and respiratory effects of the Quassia amara L. leaf extract on adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were assessed using non-invasive blood pressure (NIBP) determination and head-out plethysmography, respectively, in a randomized, parallel group study. Mean observations of blood pressure and heart rate were recorded at different time periods after dosing. Respiratory flow and irritation effects were evaluated using mean observations of respiratory rate (RR), tidal volume (TV), mid-expiratory flow rate (EF50), time of inspiration (TI) and expiration (TE), and time of break (TB) and pause (TP).</p><p><strong>RESULTS:</strong> There were no significant differences among the control and the treatment groups in SBP, DBP and HR parameters. The extract showed statistically significant effect on mean RR by time period (F=2.45, p=0.0234), trends over time of TV among the dose groups (F=2.00, p=0.0202), and EF50 among dose groups ((F=3.11, p=0.0422). However, these did not correlate with the changes in the time of break (TB) and time of pause (TP) which are more sensitive and specific tests for respiratory irritation.</p><p><strong>CONCLUSION:</strong> Aqueous leaf extract of Quassia appeared to have no significant effects on SBP, DPB, Pulse pressure, and HR. There are no conclusive dose-related respiratory flow or pulmonary irritation effects.</p>