Withania somnifera root extract (LongeFera™) confers beneficial effects on health and lifespan of the model worm Caenorhabditis legans.

Background: Withania somnifera is among the most widely prescribed medicinal plants in traditional Indian medicine. Hydroalcoholic extract of the roots of this plant was investigated for its effects on the overall health and lifespan of the model worm Caenorhabditis elegans.

Methods: The extract's effect on worm lifespan and fertility was observed microscopically. Worm motility was quantified through an automated worm tracker. The metabolic activity of the worms was captured using the Alamar Blue® assay. Differential gene expression in extract-treated worms was revealed through a whole transcriptome approach.

Results: Extract-exposed gnotobiotic worms, in the absence of any bacterial food, registered longer lifespan, higher fertility, better motility, and metabolic activity. Whole transcriptome analysis of the extract-treated worms revealed the differential expression of the genes associated with lifespan extension, eggshell assembly and integrity, progeny formation, yolk lipoproteins, collagen synthesis, cuticle molting, etc. This extract seems to exert its beneficial effect on C. elegans partly by triggering the remodeling of the developmentally programmed apical extracellular matrix (aECM). Differential expression of certain important genes (cpg-2, cpg-3, sqt-1, dpy-4, dpy-13, and col -17) was confirmed through PCR assay too. Some of the differently expressed genes (gfat-2, unc-68, dpy-4, dpy -13, col-109, col-169, and rmd-1) in worms experiencing pro-health effect of the extract were found through co-occurrence analysis to have their homologous counterpart in humans.

Conclusions: Our results validate the suitability of W. somnifera extract as a nutraceutical for healthy aging.