Effects of plant hormones on the lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans

Bc. Alena KADLECOVÁ

Master's thesis

Abstract:

Caenorhabditis elegans is a useful source of information about aging. As an eukaryot, it shares several crucial aging-related conservative pathways with mammals including humans. It provides a more complex picture of biological processes than cell cultures and, compared to mammal models, it is much easier and cheaper to maintain in the laboratory. This and also many other advantages make it an ideal organism to use in basic biotechnological research and also for screenings of compounds with anti-aging potential. Cytokinins, plant hormones derived from adenine, are one group of such compounds. Some of them previously delayed senescence in cell cultures and also in flies. Moreover, they were able to suppress oxidative and glycation stress in mice. They have also been used in cosmetics for several years. However, cytokinins have never been tested on C. elegans. In this thesis, 5 compounds, either natural cytokinin bases or their synthetic derivatives, along with 2 cytokinin ribosides, were tested. The results of these experiments show that cytokinins are able to prolong the lifespan of C. elegans, possibly via hormesis.

Abstract:

Caenorhabditis elegans is a useful source of information about aging. As an eukaryot, it shares several crucial aging-related conservative pathways with mammals including humans. It provides a more complex picture of biological processes than cell cultures and, compared to mammal models, it is much easier and cheaper to maintain in the laboratory. This and also many other advantages make it an ideal organism to use in basic biotechnological research and also for screenings of compounds with anti-aging potential. Cytokinins, plant hormones derived from adenine, are one group of such compounds. Some of them previously delayed senescence in cell cultures and also in flies. Moreover, they were able to suppress oxidative and glycation stress in mice. They have also been used in cosmetics for several years. However, cytokinins have never been tested on C. elegans. In this thesis, 5 compounds, either natural cytokinin bases or their synthetic derivatives, along with 2 cytokinin ribosides, were tested. The results of these experiments show that cytokinins are able to prolong the lifespan of C. elegans, possibly via hormesis.

Keywords

Caenorhabditis elegans, aging, cytokinins, lifespan

Jazyk práce: English

Datum vytvoření / odevzdání či podání práce: 30. 4. 2014

Zverejniť od: 30. 4. 2014

Obhajoba závěrečné práce

• Vedúci: Mgr. Jiří Voller, Ph.D.

PALACKÝ UNIVERSITY IN OLOMOUC

Faculty of Science

Master programme / odbor:
Biology / Molecular and Cell Biology