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Journal of Biotechnology and Phytochemistry| Volume: 2
October 25-26, 2018 | Frankfurt, Germany
Joint Event
Biotechnology & Medical Microbiology
World Congress on 3 rd International Conference on
Food Science & Technology
Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism for studying the anti-aging potential of exotic fruit
extracts
Mariana Roxo and Michael Wink
Heidelberg University, Germany
The unprecedented increase in human life expectancy poses
a major challenge to modern developed societies: How can
we stay healthy and live longer? Tomeet the public demand, the
pharmaceutical and food industrieshavebeen introducingmany
plant-based products, for example the so-called superfoods,
superfruit juices and extracts, as an effective strategy to
counteract the negative effects of aging. The European Union
is the world’s largest market for superfoods, accounting for
more than 40% of the total world imports. Although largely
consumed, most of these products fall into the category of
dietary supplements lacking a science-based evidence of
safety, quality and efficacy. The nematode (roundworm)
Caenorhabditis elegans is a well-established model organism in
biology, especially in the field of aging research. C. elegans has
successfullycontributedtotheelucidationofmolecularpathways
implicated in the human aging process and development of
age-related diseases. It has a short life cycle, large offspring
and transparency throughout the whole lifespan. Therefore,
C. elegans has been emerging as a cost-effective alternative
to animal testing in medium/high-throughput screening of
natural products with potential anti-aging activity. In this talk,
we will present a straightforward workflow to investigate the
benefits and to unveil the mechanism of action of exotic fruit
extracts on the promotion of health and longevity in C. elegans..
Speaker Biography
Mariana Roxo is currently a PhD student at the Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular
Biotechnology,HeidelbergUniversity,Germany.Herresearchfocusesontheantioxidant
and anti-aging potential of emergent and neglected exotic fruits from Brazil, using the
nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism. She obtained her master’s
degree in Biodiversity and Plant Biotechnology at the University of Coimbra, Portugal,
in which she investigated the anti-inflammatory and antifungal activities of essential
oils, isolated from Iberian endemic Thymus species.
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