[The Antioxidant and Geroprotective Properties of an Extract of Mountain Ash (Sorbus aucuparia L.) Fruits].

Plant polyphenols are characterized by a wide range of biological activities, including antioxidant properties, and have a high geroprotective potential. The purpose of this work was to investigate the effect of the extract of rowan berries (Sorbus aucuparia L.) on the lifespan and stress resistance of Drosophila melanogaster with the identification of possible mechanisms of its biological activity. It has been established that an ethanol extract of S. aucuparia berries, the main components of which are rutin and cyanidin-3-rutinoside, has a pronounced antioxidant activity in vitro. At the same time, treatment with rowan berry extract increased the resistance of D. melanogaster males to starvation, but reduced resistance to hyperthermia. In females, the extract reduced resistance to oxidative stress but increased resistance to hyperthermia. The effects of rowan berry extract on longevity depended both on its concentration and on the sex of fruit flies. In response to treatment with rowan berry extract, D. melanogaster males and females showed slight differences in the background level of expression of cellular stress response genes, including heat shock genes (hsp27, hsp68, and hsp83), oxidative stress resistance genes (hif1, nrf2, and sod1), circadian rhythm genes (clk and per), and the longevity gene sirt1, which may explain the differences in the observed effects.

Psychological Continuum of Elderly Patients Suffering from Arterial Hypertension with Metabolic Syndrome, Against the Background of Chronotherapy with a Fixed Combination of Amlodipine, Lisinopril and Rosuvastatin.

Aim        To study the psychological continuum in elderly patients with arterial hypertension associated with metabolic syndrome during the chronotherapy with a fixed combination (FC) of amlodipine, lisinopril, and rosuvastatin.Material and methods        In the inpatient conditions, 63 patients aged 60-74 years with arterial hypertension associated with metabolic syndrome were treated with chronotherapy with a FC of amlodipine, lisinopril, and rosuvastatin (5 / 10 / 10 mg/day in the evening). These patients composed the main group. The control group (58 patients aged 60-74 years with arterial hypertension associated with metabolic syndrome) was treated with the FC of amlodipine, lisinopril, and rosuvastatin at the same dose of 5 / 10 / 10 mg/day in the morning.Results   At one year, the disorders of psychological continuum were significantly decreased with the chronotherapy (evening dosing) with the antihypertensive FC of amlodipine, lisinopril, and rosuvastatin compared to the traditional treatment (morning dosing) at the same dose of 5 / 10 / 10 mg/day in both groups. With the chronotherapeutic approach, the dynamic of cognitive disorders in patients aged 60-74 years with arterial hypertension associated with metabolic syndrome was characterized by a significant increase in the Mini-Mental-State-Examination scale score from 17.8±0.3 at baseline to 23.5±0.4 with the evening dosing (р<0.001) vs. the increase from 16.9±0.3 to 20.4±0.4 (р<0.001) with the morning dosing. The situational anxiety score decreased from 40.0±2.2 to 30.6±1.8 (р<0.05) and from 40.8±2.5 to 33.5±1.9  (р<0.05), and the trait anxiety score decreased from 48.8±2.0 to 26.4±1.9 (р<0.001) and from 44.9±1.9 to 30.7±1.7  (р<0.01) with the evening and morning dosing, respectively. Depressive disorders slightly decreased with the chronotherapy by 14.1 % vs. 7.7 % with the traditional regimen; nevertheless, they were consistent with depressive spectrum disorders in both groups.Conclusion            The study results showed a higher effectiveness of the chronotherapeutic treatment compared to the traditional treatment with FC of amlodipine, lisinopril, and rosuvastatin in arterial hypertension with metabolic syndrome.

[The effects of cloudberry extract on Drosophila melanogaster lifespan and stress resistance.]

We have previously shown that carotenoids increase lifespan of model organisms Drosophila melanogaster and Caenorhabditis elegans. In the present study, we investigated the effects of cloudberry extract, an abundant food for people in North, with a relatively large carotenoid content on Drosophila melanogaster lifespan parameters and resistance to different stress conditions. It was shown that the cloudberry extract increased the median lifespan and the age of 90% mortality of females up to 11-19%. The rate of aging was decreased up to 13%. The effects of cloudberry extract on lifespan of males were less expressed. In some cases, they were even negative. The extract had no effects on males and females' resistance to starvation. However, it decreased the resistance of males to oxidative stress.

Pharmacological inhibition of phosphoinositide 3 and TOR kinases improves survival of Drosophila melanogaster.

Recent progress in our understanding of genetic mechanisms of aging and longevity provides an opportunity to select some enzymes as targets for pharmacological correction. The phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) and TOR-kinase cascades are affected in some long-lived mutants of different animals, such as nematodes and mice. The purpose of this study was to investigate the geroprotector efficiency of the inhibitors of enzymes that are known to be affected in long-lived mutants. Experimental animals were exposed to low dozes of LY-294002 (5 microM), wortmannin (0.5 microM), and rapamycin (0.5 microM) separately during their lifetimes. We have shown that the specific PI3K inhibitors (LY-294002 and wortmannin) and the TOR-kinase inhibitor rapamycin slightly increase the median and maximal lifespan of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster.