Erigeron breviscapus extends lifespan in worms
Treatment prolonged average lifespan up to a maximum of 18.68% while enhancing stress resistance and motor function in the roundworms.
Biogerontology
In roundworms (Caenorhabditis elegans) and SAMP8 mice, researchers tested the anti-senescence effects of the herbal medicine Erigeron breviscapus Hand-Mazz. (EBHM). In C. elegans, EBHM prolonged average lifespan up to a maximum of 18.68% and enhanced both stress resistance and motor function. These lifespan effects were abolished in mutants of aak-2, sir-2.1, daf-16, and cep-1. EBHM increased the p-AMPK/AMPK ratio and SIR-2.1 levels, promoted DAF-16 nuclear import, reduced MDA content, and modulated apoptotic gene expression. In SAMP8 mice, EBHM reduced SA-beta-gal-positive cells, collagen deposition, and alpha-SMA expression in the liver and kidney. EBHM also raised the p-AMPK/AMPK ratio and SIRT1 expression, decreased p16, p21, and p53 levels, lowered apoptotic cell proportions, and enhanced antioxidant enzyme activities.
Why it matters
The findings suggest that activating AMPK-SIRT1 signaling with botanical compounds may help counteract oxidative stress and modulate cellular senescence pathways across species.
Caveats
The study was conducted in nematodes and an accelerated-aging mouse strain rather than naturally aging wild-type animals, and sample sizes were not provided in the abstract. Whether these biological effects translate to humans remains unexamined.
The paper
Yunnan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Biogerontology · 25 Sep 2026
