Plant compound boosts healthy fat levels and supports lifespan in lab worms.
Scientists have found that an extract made from the leaves of a tropical plant may help living organisms stay healthier for longer. In a recent study, researchers tested hundreds of plant-based substances and found one, taken from Caryota maxima, that increased lifespan in small organisms called Caenorhabditis elegans. These tiny worms are commonly used in aging research because their short lives make it easier to study long-term effects. The herbal extract, known in the lab as JM13001, was shown to increase overall fat content in the worms. It also caused a rise in certain fats known as mono-unsaturated fatty acids. These fats, often found in foods like olive oil, have been linked to better heart health and longer lifespan in other research. When these fats increased, the worms lived longer and stayed healthier. But when the ability to make these fats was taken away, the effect disappeared. This means the benefits of the plant extract are tied to how the body handles these fats.
Further work showed the herbal extract works through a part of the worm’s biology known as the DAF-2 pathway. This is a key route inside cells that controls fat storage, aging, and stress responses. DAF-2 has been studied for many years and has been linked to aging across many species. Changing how this pathway works can lead to longer life in several kinds of animals, from worms to mice.
Chemical analysis of the extract showed it contains several plant compounds called flavonoids. One of these, called rutin, seemed to be the most important. On its own, rutin produced many of the same effects as the full extract. When worms were given rutin, they lived longer and built up the same healthy fats, again through the DAF-2 system. This helped confirm that rutin is the active part of the extract that does most of the work.
This discovery adds to a growing body of research focused on natural products and how they may help slow aging or reduce problems tied to getting older. While many treatments for age-related illness work on one single issue, natural extracts like JM13001 may work on several things at once. That could make them more useful in the long run, especially if they come with fewer side effects than regular drugs.
The findings are early and limited to small organisms in the lab, but they offer a new direction for studying how aging works and how it might be slowed down. The next steps will likely involve testing in larger animals to see if the effects still hold. If they do, this type of plant extract could be looked at for use in people, either as part of a supplement or as a treatment for diseases that come with age.
The plant Caryota maxima, also known as the fishtail palm, has not been widely studied in this way before. This new research puts it on the map as a possible source of compounds that support healthy aging. The results may also help guide new work on how fat metabolism connects to lifespan, since the increase in certain fats was key to the positive effects.
Though this does not mean there is now a cure for aging, it does suggest that nature still has a lot to offer. Many plants used in traditional medicine may hold hidden benefits that science is only now beginning to uncover. With further study, more natural compounds like JM13001 could play a role in helping people stay healthier for longer.
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Herbal extract from Caryota maxima extends lifespan through lipid metabolism
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