Effects of crude ethanolic extracts of wild and cultivated Auricularia auricula-judae (Bull.) quel. on the life span of Drosophila melanogaster (Meigen)

Abstract

Ageing is a natural biological phenomenon influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. The measurement of the life span in Drosophila melanogaster (Meigen) has been successful in understanding conserved pathways and assessing ageing interventions such as the dietary supplementation of natural extracts rich in antioxidants. Edible mushrooms are good sources of antioxidants. Auricularia auricula-judae (Bull.) Quel. or commonly known as “tenga ng daga” is a famous edible mushroom in the Philippines with folkloric and medicinal values, available locally from wild and cultivated sources. In this study, crude ethanolic extracts of wild and cultivated A. auricula-judae were tested for their antioxidant activities and effects as dietary supplements on the life span of D. melanogaster. Analyses were carried out by quantifying antioxidant activities and monitoring the life span of the flies during the absence and presence of stress, specifically heat stress and starvation stress. Results showed that cultivated A. auricula-judae has a higher antioxidant activity with EC50 of 6.204 µg/mL compared to wild A. auricula-judae with EC50 of 16.640 µg/mL. In the absence of stress, a decrease in the mean life span of female flies was seen at 0.01 mg/mL of wild A. auricula-judae and 0.1, 1.0 mg/mL of cultivated A. auricula-judae. In the presence of stress, an increase in the mean life span of female flies and a decrease in the mean life span of male flies were seen but at varying concentrations of wild and cultivated A. auricula-judae depending on the specific stress condition. These results suggest that the crude ethanolic extracts of wild and cultivated A.auricula-judae may contain antioxidants and bioactive compounds with properties that have different sex specific effects on the life span of D. melanogaster during the absence and presence of stress.