Crocetin upregulated the energy levels of other vital organs of
the body and enhanced the median life span of male mice
After analyzing the anti-aging effect of crocetin on brain, we wanted to
know if chronic treatment with crocetin had a similar effect on the
energy metabolism of other vital organs including heart, kidney, lungs,
and liver. All the organs showed similarly increasing trend in the
levels of ATP, NAD+ in crocetin group, and as
expected, their level was closer to the levels in young mice (Figure
6A-D). Interestingly, NADH and AMP also showed higher levels in crocetin
group than control group, indicating higher rate of metabolism in these
organs (6A-D). Further, no significant change was observed in
biochemical parameters including oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT)
between the groups. The hematological parameters were not changed
significantly except for a significant decrease in the platelet count in
the crocetin group (Figure 6E and Supplementary Table ST3). The overall
increased energy levels in different organs of mice body were also
reflected in improved neuromuscular co-ordination in crocetin treated
mice in comparison to untreated group as analyzed in the rotarod test.
The crocetin group ride the rota road for a significantly longer average
time as compared to the control group (Figure 6F). Additional proof of
anti-aging effect of crocetin came from the increased grip strength of
mice in the wire-hanging test, where crocetin-treated mice kept hanging
for a significantly longer time in comparison to the control group
(Figure 6G).
We further asked if improved energy levels of different orans of the
body can increase the life span of the male mice. Therefore, after
finishing the treatment, we observed the control and crocetin groups
till the death of all the animals. We found that the median survival
time of crocetin treated mice was significant improved by 17.7% from
744 days to 876 days (p value = 0.0024) (Figure 6H).