Characterising the anti-aging role of high glucose diet-induced osmotic stress in aged Caenorhabditis elegans

• Main Author: Lim, Venus Wen Xuan
• Other Authors: Guillaume Thibault
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2019
• Subjects: DRNTU::Science::Biological sciences
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/77517
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The research of our laboratory appears to be promising in demonstrating the outcome of an extended lifespan when aged C. elegans are fed a high glucose diet. On the other hand, young C. elegans are known have a reduced lifespan when fed a high glucose diet. Building upon the study of aged C. elegans, we aimed to analyse the effects of osmotic stress-induced by a high glucose diet in aged C. elegans. Our results demonstrate that extension of lifespan is an outcome of high glucose diet-induced osmotic stress. Intracellular glucose content and glucose metabolism were similarly maintained in aged worms fed a normal diet and a high glucose diet. This indicates that the aged worms do not metabolise sugar and hence lifespan extension can be contributed to other factors and not glucose metabolism. Lifespan of aged C. elegans were extended when fed a high glucose diet of D-glucose, L-glucose and D-sorbitol. Albeit, much remains to be answered, the relationship between osmotic stress-induced by high glucose diet and aging would serve to unravel the interconnected pathways that underlie these diseases.