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).