New Discovery: This Anthocyanin Can Extend Lifespan!
1. BlackGoji Anthocyanins Can Extend Lifespan
This study used the Caenorhabditis elegans model to investigate the potential anti-aging effects and mechanisms of BGA. The researchers first explored the effects of black wolfberry anthocyanins on the lifespan of nematodes. The results showed that all tested concentrations of black wolfberry anthocyanins significantly extended the average lifespan of nematodes. Among them, the concentration of 8 mg/mL extended the average lifespan of nematodes from 20.30 days to 22.76 days, an increase of 12.09%.
Subsequently, the researchers observed that the levels of reactive oxygen and malondialdehyde in nematodes were significantly reduced after BGA administration. BGA enhanced the activity of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), and increased the glutathione disulfide (GSSG)/glutathione (GSH) ratio. This suggests that BGA exerts excellent antioxidant activity in nematodes, which may play a major role in its anti-aging effect.
Further mechanistic studies showed that the health effects of BGA on C. elegans may be closely related to petunidin-3- O -glucoside, the most abundant anthocyanin in BGA. JNK-1 and DAF-16/FOXO pathways, rather than caloric restriction pathways, are responsible for BGA's anti-oxidative stress and lifespan extension in C. elegans.
2. Black Goji is Rich in Anthocyanins
Black Goji (Lycium ruthenicum Murr.) is a plant of the genus Lycium in the Solanaceae family, and has a long history of edible and medicinal use in China. This plant is widely distributed in northwestern my country, such as Xinjiang, Tibet, Qinghai and Gansu, as well as in Central Asia and parts of Europe. It has strong adaptability to harsh arid environments such as saline-alkali land and deserts. The Tibetan medical classic "Jingzhu Bencao" records that black wolfberry is a slender shrub with many branches, gray bark and purple-red fruit. During the ripening process, the color of the black wolfberry fruit gradually changes from green to purple-red, and the flesh also begins to color. This is because black wolfberry has a high content of anthocyanins. Studies have found that the content of anthocyanins in black wolfberry fruit is about 500 mg/100 g FW (fresh weight), which is much higher than other anthocyanin-rich plants, such as blackberry (104 mg/100 g FW) and cornus officinalis (223 mg/100 g FW).
3. Various Functions of Black Goji
In addition to anthocyanins, black Goji also contains polysaccharides, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, betaine and flavonoids. Modern pharmacological studies have shown that black wolfberry has antioxidant, anti-fatigue, hypoglycemic, and anti-osteoporosis effects. It can also relieve non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, protect cortical neurons, improve memory loss, and has immunomodulatory activity. Among them, polysaccharides are an important material basis for black wolfberry to exert a variety of biological activities.
Antioxidant:
Black Goji polysaccharide has an antioxidant effect on mice. Lycium barbarum leaves can effectively inhibit protein oxidative damage caused by Cu2+/H2O2 and cell oxidative damage caused by H2O2, and the antioxidant capacity increases with the increase of concentration. The mechanism of the antioxidant effect of black Goji polysaccharide includes scavenging 1,1-diphenyl-2-trinitrophenylhydrazine (DPPH) free radicals, hydrogen peroxide, and superoxide anion free radicals.
Protects Nerves:
Black Goji polysaccharide exerts a protective effect on the central nervous system through various mechanisms. The potential mechanisms of its neuroprotective activity include antioxidant activity, regulation of signaling pathways such as Nrf2/HO-1, NF-κB, PI3K/Akt, MAPKs, promotion of neurite outgrowth of neuronal cells, and support for neuronal nutrition. Studies have found that black Goji polysaccharide significantly induced the expression of nuclear factor E2-related factor 2/heme oxygenase-1 (Nrf 2 /HO-1) in oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R)-induced cortical neurons, indicating that black Goji polysaccharide significantly enhanced the cell viability of OGD/R-induced cortical neurons and had a neuroprotective effect on OGD/R-induced primary cortical neuron injury in rats.
Liver Protection:
Studies have found that moderate exercise combined with black Goji polysaccharides can improve the immune function of mice with liver damage, reduce the expression of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), nuclear factor κB (NF-κB), transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) mRNA in mouse serum, and repair the liver cells of mice with obstructive jaundice. Another study found that black Goji polysaccharides can regulate cell membrane permeability, reduce oxidative stress in tissue cells, scavenge free radicals in the body, and have a protective effect on rat liver damage. Black Goji polysaccharides can also reduce the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and transaminase in rat serum, and increase the levels of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) in tissues, which shows that the protective mechanism of black Goji polysaccharides against liver damage may be related to its antioxidant effect.
