N-ACETYLCYSTEINE SLOWS DOWN AGING AND INCREASES THE LIFE-SPAN OF DROSOPHILA-MELANOGASTER

Ageing can be defined as the time-dependent decline of physiological f unctions of an organism. The molecular causes for the ageing process a re multiple, involving both genetic and environmental factors. It has been proposed that antioxidants may positively influence the ageing pr ocess, protecting the organism against free radical-induced damage. He re we slow that the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) has a life-exte nding effect on Drosophila melanogaster. Dietary uptake of NAC results in a dose-dependent increase in median and maximum life span. Flies f ed on 1 mg/ml NAC food live 16.6%, longer; at 10 mg/ml, life span incr eases by 26.6%. We have examined the effect of NAC treatment on protei n and RNA levels: we observe an NAC-dependent increase in absolute amo unts of total RNA and ribosomal RNA, but no differences in protein lev els. The NAC effect on longevity may involve differential expression o f specific mRNA genes, as suggested by RNA finger-printing experiments .