X-Message-Number: 13668
Date: Tue, 2 May 2000 00:06:42 -0700 (PDT)
From: Doug Skrecky <>
Subject: 28'th update on fly longevity experiments
This is the 28'th update on my fly longevity experiments. In run #24
I further looked at ways and means of reducing alcohol induced mortality.
Unfortunately A 20% alcohol solution (50% vodka) is much more toxic than
than the 12.5% wine I had used earlier. Most flies died during the first
day of alcohol exposure. The surviving flies had been exposed to various
supplements for such a short period of time that these may have not had
enough time to built any protection against alcohol toxicity. However
adding some rooibos tea to the grape extract Leucoselect, appeared to
delay early death somewhat. Pycogenol looked somewhat interesting too.
This results might be all due to chance.
Run #24 Percent Survival on Day
supplement 1 2 6 12 16
__________________________________
50% vodka 16% 16% 8% 0% -
+50% prune juice 15 15 5 0 -
+leucoselect 200 mg 15 15 5 0 -
+artichoke 250 mg 15 10 0 - -
+bilberry 200 mg 6 0 - - -
+pycnogenol 200 mg 32 32 0 - -
+rooibos tea 44 44 16 4 0
+leucoselect 400 mg 9 9 0 - -
In run #25 I further looked at the individual effect of pycnogenol,
and rooibos tea on survival of alcohol free flies. Artichoke was included
as a positive control. Here I was surprised by the excellent short term
survival of pycnogenol doped flies. This advantage proved to be
transient. Several interpretations are possible to account for this
temporary benefit. Proanthocyanidins are known to be unstable in
solution, and it is possible that pynogenol proanthocyanidins became
oxidized after about 2 weeks, so that their protective antioxident effect
was lost after this time. Another possible explanation is that flies
might reduce their own antioxidant defences, with continued exposure to
pycnogenol. I intend to test these hypotheses in future.
Run #25 Percent Survival on Day
supplement 4 10 15 19 23 26 30 36 41 48 55 64 71
_____________________________________________________
control 90 60 50 40 40 40 40 20 20 20 0 - -
artichoke 250 mg 94 81 69 69 63 56 44 31 31 13 6 0 -
pycnogenol 100 mg 100 92 69 62 38 38 38 31 23 11 0 - -
pycnogenol 200 mg 100 100 78 78 56 44 44 11 11 0 - - -
50% rooibos tea 94 81 69 50 44 38 31 25 25 19 6 6 6
100% rooibos tea 96 65 65 52 48 48 48 35 17 4 0 - -
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