X-Message-Number: 15038
Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 03:24:26 -0800 (PST)
From: Doug Skrecky <>
Subject: 32'nd update on fly longevity experiments
This is the 32'nd update on my fly longevity experiments. In Run
#31 I retest coconut juice, and synephrine, which improved longevity
back in Run #28. For comparison purposes, I have reproduced part of
Run #28 below as well.
Run #31 Percent Survival on Day
supplement 4 9 12 19 25 29 33 40 49 53 56 60 63 68
_____________________________________________________________
control 81 33 22 22 22 15 7 7 0 - - - - -
coconut juice 90 90 70 70 40 40 30 30 20 20 10 10 10 10
elderberry nectar 90 80 80 80 60 60 30 10 0 - - - - -
IP6 250 mg 74 50 34 24 18 8 3 3 0 - - - - -
+resveratrol 50 mg 88 50 33 33 21 17 4 4 0 - - - - -
malvia verticellata 92 69 58 38 19 19 12 0 - - - - - -
resveratrol 50 mg 92 72 44 40 12 16 4 0 - - - - - -
synephrine 15 mg 71 67 46 42 21 21 17 8 0 - - - - -
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 -
coconut juice 96 79 71 71 71 67 58 50 42 38 21 4
synephrine 15 mg 95 90 60 60 55 55 40 40 30 25 20 10
The flies used in Run #31 were derived from a rather old breeding
bottle, which presumably held a lot of older flies. An increased
number of doddering flies might account for the higher than normal
short-term mortality in both the control bottle, as well as several
other bottles in this run.
This time around synephrine did not increase maximum lifespan,
though early survival was enhanced. Judging by its effect on flies,
synephrine might prove to be a non-toxic antiobesity agent for humans.
Once again coconut juice was associated with superior overall
survival, increasing both average and maximum survivals in both runs.
The active ingrediants in coconut juice are unknown, as is the
mechanism of their operation.
I included IP6 (inositol hexaphosphate), and resveratrol to test
thet iron, and copper dependance respectively of fly longevity. Flies
fed 4-24 fly food are known to accumulate iron in tissues. Inclusion
of iron chelators is known to block this accumulation and increase
longevity slightly. However I use citric acid as a standard additive
to block pathogen growth, and this may also reduce iron availability.
This may be the reason IP6 failed to offer a benefit in the present
experiment. Resveratrol also proved to be a disappointment.
One surpise hit was with Knudsen elderberry nectar juice. The
ingrediants are as follows: filtered water, juices from whole apple,
elderberry, bosenberry, plum, and grape. I was not impressed with the
results with either apple juice (Run #11), prune juice (Runs #22 & 24)
or with grape juice (Runs #11 & #30), although grape may offer a very
minor benefit. Both elderberry and bosenberry juices remain to be
investigated. Although average longevity was the best with elderberry
nectar, no benefit on maximum lifespan appeared in this run.
In Run #32 I retested both coconut, and Knudsen elderberry nectar
juices. The results were uniformly good. At a 50% dilution both juices
increased lifespan. At full strength, coconut outperformed 50% juice up
until the day 37 census. Full strength elderberry improved survival over
50% nectar at all time points. I will admit to being impressed with
elderberry nectar. Further experiments investigating this nectar, as
well as its components are planned for the future.
Run #32 Percent Survival on Day
supplement 5 9 13 21 30 34 37 41 44 49 52 55 59 62 65 68
_______________________________________________________________________
control 91 70 52 48 21 18 9 6 6 0 - - - - - -
coconut juice 50% 94 88 61 52 39 33 30 30 27 15 12 0 - - - -
coconut juice 100% 97 97 80 70 57 40 30 23 23 10 7 0 - - - -
elderberry nectar 50% 92 65 65 58 38 35 19 15 12 12 12 8 4 4 4 4
elderberry nectar 100% 100 91 78 78 59 50 41 22 22 19 19 19 13 13 13 9
I tried another freezer experiment in my ongoing quest to discover
a method for implimenting hopefully patentible reversible
cryopreservation, getting rich, famous, etc. Pycnogenol was added to
all bottles, since this earlier had been found to be beneficial.
Various amounts of polyethylene glycol 200 were added to see if this
could further increase survival. I chose a low molecular weight PEG,
so it would be absorbed from the food into fly tissues.
Unfortunately adding PEG 200 to fly food results in some extra
fluid being released from the food when it is thawed out after
freezing. If there were any surviving flies, they were all drowned.
The moral of this story is that experiments testing the
effectiveness of cryoprotectants in inhibiting freeze/thaw damage
are not feasible with the current setup.
Freezer Run #4 Percent Survival After
supplement 0 90 minutes
________________________________
pycnogenol 300 mg 100 4
+ PEG 200 17% 100 0
+ PEG 200 33% 94 0
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