X-Message-Number: 8461
Date: Tue, 12 Aug 1997 23:03:48 -0700 (PDT)
From: Doug Skrecky <>
Subject: 14'th update on fly longevity experiment
This is the fourteenth update on my fly experiments. On day 73 I
checked the third run for survivors and found none. However after
smelling the activated charcoal, anise, malt, paprika bottles while
cleaning them I discovered that none of these smelt bad, indicating that
it was the lack of pathogens in these bottles that was at least partly
responsible for their life extending effects. The sage bottle had a
slight smell.
Third Run Survival
Supplement DAY 17 DAY 36 DAY 48 DAY 59 DAY 73
Control 64% 14% 0% 0% all 0%
Activated charcoal 87 31 15 4
Amchoor 73 42 8 0
Angelica 56 18 0 0
Anise 45 43 19 4
Bay 69 0 0 0
Beet 62 0 0 0
Betaine HCL 82 27 0 0
Carrot 40 0 0 0
Celery seed 90 0 0 0
Citrus bioflavonoids 65 5 0 0
Comfrey 88 0 0 0
Dill seed 82 0 0 0
Green pea 76 8 0 0
Hydroxycitric acid 47 0 0 0
Kelp 64 7 12 0
Malt 83 34 18 3
Melatonin 54 31 6 0
Melatonin 2X 70 29 6 0
Melatonin 4X 65 6 0 0
Nicotinamide 6X 28 0 0 0
Paprika 69 43 29 7
Para-aminobenzoic acid 82 17 11 0
Purple yam 92 58 8 0
Rosehip 88 6 6 0
Sage 66 19 7 3
Sage 2X 67 0 0 0
Sage 4X 94 0 0 0
Silica 88 7 0 0
Spinach 40 20 0 0
Tumerin 84 0 0 0
The fourth run was something of a disaster. I intended to find a
non-toxic bactericide here, but failed badly. The lesson I learnt is that
by using harsh chemicals to kill bacteria, you can kill flies as well. As
I washed some bottles on day 34 I noticed that the control bottle smelled
bad, the paprika and purple yam 4X bottles smelled a little better, but
the salt bottle had no odor. Only 1 fly each still lives in the purple
yam and water reduced bottles.
Fourth Run Survival
Supplement DAY 10 DAY 24 DAY 34
Control 100% 56% 0%
bactine 75 0 0
bactine 4X 50 0 0
garlic 20 0 0
garlic 4X 0 0 0
KCL 100 0 0
KCL 4X 71 0 0
mint listerine 0 0 0
mint listerine 4X 0 0 0
paprika 88 38 0
paprika 4X 50 0 0
pectin 40 0 0
plax 60 0 0
plax 4X 0 0 0
purple yam 86 48 5
purple yam 4X 52 5 0
salt 47 13 0
salt 4X 38 0 0
sterisol 0 0 0
sterisol 4X 0 0 0
viadent 0 0 0
viadent 4X 0 0 0
water reduced 50% 90 30 10
With the fifth run I decided to try some nontoxic bactericides. After
reading up on books on food preservation I learnt that high enough
concentrations of sugars can inhibit bacterial growth. I think it may
have been the maltose in malt from run #3 that was acting to inhibit
bacteria. I am also testing sucrose (table sugar), glucose and sorbitol
to see how these fare as well. I am retesting activated charcoal, anise,
malt, and paba.
Rather than continue with my testing of spices I decided to try
something different - and more expensive - amino acids. I also managed to
obtain some l-carnosine after much begging. The reason for my interest in
l-carnosine is that it has been found to rejuvenate the morphology of
senescent cell cultures that have reached their hayflick limit and can
not divide anymore. Neither d-carnosine (b-alanyl-d-histidine),
homocarnosine, anserine nor b-alanine share this curious effect.
(Experimental Cell Research 212: 167-175 1994) L-carnosine reduces DNA
oxidation. (Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 223:
278-282 1996) L-carnosine inhibits glycosylation. (FEBS Letters 371:81-85
1995) Unfortunately shortly after recieving some l-carnosine I found out
that it probably will not work to extend life span in flies since it is
unlikely to be absorbed intact. It will probably act as a very expensive
source of b-alanine and l-histidine for my flies. In order for
l-carnosine to be absorbed it has to be administered in the form of
acetylcarnosine, which I don't believe is commercially available.
(Clinica Chimica Acta 254: 1-21 1996) B-alanine has been tested in flies
with negative results on life span and l-histidine has been tested in
rodents with negative results as well.
For the first time I am running several control bottles so as to
achieve a more stable comparison group. FYI: I use a lot (20 grams) of
4-24 dry fly medium per bottle, partly because I bought a lot of it a
while back and partly because I lack the means to accurately weigh small
quantities of fly food and supplements. I mention the weights of the
supplements here only if the bottle they are from specifies how much 1/4
teaspoon weighs. My own guessimates have been notoriously inaccurate in
the past, since the same volume of different powders can have quite
different weights. This lack of rigour is not a fatal defect for cheap
screening experiments, but would have to be rectified for serious
experimentation. All published fly longevity experiments are done in a
temperature regulated environment and use age-synchronized flies. I don't
have air-conditioning and use most flies from several breeding bottles,
which at least are all started on the same date. For this run I am using
new breeding bottles, that have not (yet) shown much evidence of
bacterial contamination.
Fifth Run
Supplement: Quantity
Control 1
Control 2
Control 3
activated charcoal: 1 capsule (260 mg) / 20 grams 4-24 medium
activated charcoal 4X: 4 capsules (1040 mg)
l-alanine: 1/4 teaspoon (1050 mg)
l-alanine 4X: 1 teaspoon (4200 mg)
anise: 1/4 teaspoon
anise 4X: 1 teaspoon
l-carnosine: 1/8 teaspoon
l-carnosine 2X: 1/4 teaspoon
l-carnosine 4X: 1/2 teaspoon
l-carnosine 8X: 1 teaspoon
l-cysteine: 1/4 teaspoon
l-cysteine: 1 teaspoon
glucose: 1/4 teaspoon
glucose 4X: 1 teaspoon
l-glycine: 1/4 teaspoon
l-glycine 4X: 1 teaspoon
l-glutamine: 1 capsule (500 mg)
l-glutamine 4X: 4 capsules (2000 mg)
l-isoleucine: 1/4 teaspoon
l-isoleucine 4X: 1 teaspoon
l-leucine: 1/4 teaspoon
l-leucine 4X: 1 teaspoon
malt: 1/4 teaspoon
malt 4X: 1 teaspoon
paba: 1 capsule (250 mg) note: (paba capsules also contain dandelion
paba 4X: 4 capsules (1000 mg) root and beet powder)
dl-phenylalanine: 1 capsule (500 mg)
dl-phenylalanine: 4 capsules (2000 mg)
l-proline: 1 capsule (500 mg)
l-proline 4X: 4 capsules (2000 mg)
sorbitol: 1/4 teaspoon
sorbitol 4X: 1 teaspoon
sucrose: 1/4 teaspoon
sucrose 4X: 1 teaspoon
l-threonine: 1/4 teaspoon (850 mg)
l-threonine 4X: 1 teaspoon (3400 mg)
l-valine: 1/4 teaspoon (750 mg)
l-valine 4X: 1 teaspoon (3000 mg)
Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=8461