%0 Journal Article
%T Extracts of Cistanche deserticola Can Antagonize Immunosenescence and Extend Life Span in Senescence-Accelerated Mouse Prone 8 (SAM-P8) Mice
%A Ke Zhang
%A Xu Ma
%A Wenjun He
%A Haixia Li
%A Shuyan Han
%A Yong Jiang
%A Hounan Wu
%A Li Han
%A Tomohiro Ohno
%A Nobuo Uotsu
%A Kohji Yamaguchi
%A Zhizhong Ma
%A Pengfei Tu
%J Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
%D 2014
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2014/601383
%X The senescence accelerated mouse prone 8 substrain (SAM-P8), widely accepted as an animal model for studying aging and antiaging drugs, was used to examine the effects of dietary supplementation with extracts of Cistanche deserticola (ECD) which has been used extensively in traditional Chinese medicine because of its perceived ability to promote immune function in the elderly. Eight-month-old male SAM-P8 mice were treated with ECD by daily oral administrations for 4 weeks. The results showed that dietary supplementation of 150£¿mg/kg and 450£¿mg/kg of ECD could extend the life span measured by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis in dose-dependent manner. Dietary supplementation of SAM-P8 mice for 4 weeks with 100, 500, and 2500£¿mg/kg of ECD was shown to result in significant increases in both naive T and natural killer cells in blood and spleen cell populations. In contrast, peripheral memory T cells and proinflammatory cytokine, IL-6 in serum, were substantially decreased in the mice that ingested 100 and 500£¿mg/kg of ECD daily. Additionally, Sca-1 positive cells, the recognized progenitors of peripheral naive T cells, were restored in parallel. Our results provide clear experimental support for long standing clinical observational studies showing that Cistanche deserticola possesses significant effects in extending life span and suggest this is achieved by antagonizing immunosenescence. 1. Introduction Cistanche deserticola, one of the most popular traditional Chinese herbal medicines/health products, has been described in a number of historical Chinese herbal pharmacopoeias as having antiaging properties. Consequently it has been widely used in China for treating various age-related disorders including senile dementia, impotence, infertility, chronic infection, and hematopoietic disorders in the elderly [1]. Modern chemical approaches have allowed two principal types of compounds, phenylethanoid glycosides and oligosaccharides, to be isolated as the main active ingredients of Cistanche deserticola [1]. In the last decade, Cistanche deserticola and its extracts have been studied intensively and shown to be capable of protecting neurons from injury induced by neurotoxins [2], inhibiting carbon tetrachloride induced hepatotoxicity [2], and promoting the recovery of bone marrow cells from Co60 induced radiation damage [3]. It has also been shown to have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antiaging effects [4]. However, whether Cistanche deserticola can increase life span and what are the underlying molecular mechanisms [3] associated with its antiaging
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2014/601383/