X-Message-Number: 14411
Date: Mon, 4 Sep 2000 05:21:12 -0700 (PDT)
From: Doug Skrecky <>
Subject: 30'th update on fly longevity experiments

     This is the 30'th update on my fly longevity experiments. In Run #28
 I tested the effect of various food items on fly longevity.  I also
 looked at evidence of toxicity of an anti-obesity citrus aurantium
 extract, which contains 15 mg synephrine.
      It was somewhat surprising that synephrine was associated with
 reduced late mortality. I will have to have another look at this in
 future to see if this advantage was a fluke or not. Coconut juice also
 looks worth a second look.
     Early survival was increased notably by propolis by the day 11
 census, but late survival was actually reduced. The propolis extract also
 contained 500 mg of rosehips. If propolis/rosehip antioxidants
 deteriorate in solution, this might account for these effects.

 Run #28                         Percent Survival on Day
 supplement          3   7 11 17 20 24 31 35 41 46 51 56
 ______________________________________________________
 control           100  89 68 64 61 57 36 14 14  7  0  -
 eggplant skin     100  88 73 64 64 64 52 36 21 15  0  -
 mung bean hulls   100 100 70 60 60 50 30 20  5  0  -  -
 kidney bean hulls 100  95 68 53 53 47 16 11  0  -  -  -
 coconut juice      96  79 71 71 71 67 58 50 42 38 21  4
 propolis 100 mg   100 100 90 76 71 62 19 10  5  0  -  -
 synephrine 15 mg   95  90 60 60 55 55 40 40 30 25 20 10
 kudzu root 500 mg  95  89 68 68 63 58 37 21 11  5  0  -

      In Run #29 I attempted to stabilize proanthocyanidins with copper
 chelators so that the early survival benefits noted in earlier runs with
 the grape extract leucoselect, and the pine bark extract pynogenol might
 be extended in time.
     Possibly due to the already excellent short-term survival of the
 controls, leucoselect did not offer any short term advantage. The higher
 dosage of pyconogenol did prove to be advantageous, with the usual
 increase in early survival, paired to a decrease in late survival when
 the proanthocyanidins have oxidized.
     Both reservatrol, and rooibos tea can chelate copper. When I added
 either of these to proanthocyanidin extracts there was a minor benefit on
 survival. When used by itself rooibos tea (1 bag/cup water) yielded the
 best overall survival this time around. In future I will have to try
 resveratrol by itself as well.

 Run #29                         Percent Survival on Day
 supplement            4   8  14 17 21 28 32 38 43 48 53
 _______________________________________________________
 control              94  94  72 72 67 61 33 22  0  -  -
 leucoselect 100 mg   96  91  74 70 61 35 35  9  9  5  0
  +resveratrol 50 mg 100 100  60 60 50 45 40 25 20 10  5
  +rooibos           100  89  74 74 68 47 47 26 21  5  0
 pynogenol 200 mg    100  95  68 68 53 42 37 16 11  5  0
  +rooibos           100  83  83 69 66 48 45 24 17  3  0
 pynogenol 300 mg    100  95  95 85 75 45 15 10  5  5  0
 rooibos             100 100 100 92 85 85 69 54 31 23  7

     In a continuation of my cryobiology experimentation, Freezer Run #2
 tried to confirm the earlier benefit noted for pycnogenol at a dosage of
 200 mg.
     Pycnogenol at the 200 mg dosage proved a bust this time, but doubling
 the dose to 400 mg appeared to slow freezing damage. This is just
 interesting enough that yet another experiment will be needed to
 determine if pynogenol feeding really protects flies from freezing
 damage.
     Note: The milk bottles were placed on their side in the freezer.
 Drops of water placed on the milk bottles housing the flies were all
 frozen after 1 hour, so it looks very likely the flies themselves were
 also frozen, and not merely supercooled. The flies had been stored for 6
 days in their respective milk bottles before being placed in the freezer.
 A few flies had already died in this time, before the freezer experiment
 started.

 Freezer Run #2    No. of   Percent Survival After
 supplement         Flies      0  1 12 hours
 control             22       86 59  0
 20% less water      17       82 29  0
 pycogenol 200 mg    21       95 57  0
 pycogenol 400 mg    24       88 71  0

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