Key Results
The aged mice treated with crocetin for four months displayed significantly improved memory behavior, neuromuscular coordination, and ATP and NAD+ levels in the brain and other vital organs, leading to an increased median life span. The transcriptomic analysis of hippocampi from crocetin-treated mice revealed that enhanced brain energy level was caused by the upregulation of genes linked to OXPHOS, and their expression was close to the expression in young mice. The chronic treatment of aged astrocytes also showed improved mitochondrial membrane potential and energy state of the cells.