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Updated: Mar 18, 2026
Measurements of Physiological Stress Responses in C. Elegans
Published on: May 21, 2020
Baicalein modulates stress-resistance and life span in C. elegans via SKN-1 but not DAF-16
Susannah Havermann1, Hans-Ulrich Humpf2, Wim Wätjen3
1Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Institute of Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences, Weinbergweg 22, 06120 Halle/Saale, Germany; Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Institute of Food Chemistry, Corrensstr. 45, 48149 Münster, Germany; Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Institute of Toxicology, P.O. Box 101007, 40001 Düsseldorf, Germany.
Abstract:
The flavonoid baicalein has been demonstrated to be an activator of the transcription factor Nrf2 in mammalian cell lines. We show that it further modulates the Nrf2 homolog SKN-1 in Caenorhabditis elegans and by this pathway mediates beneficial effects in the nematode: baicalein enhances the resistance of C. elegans against lethal thermal and sodium arsenite stress and dose-dependently prolongs the life span of the nematode. Using RNA interference against SKN-1 we were able to show that the induction of longevity and the enhanced stress-resistance were dependent on this transcription factor. DAF-16 (homolog to mammalian FOXO) is another pivotal aging-related transcription factor in the nematode. We demonstrate that DAF-16 does not participate in the beneficial effects of baicalein: since baicalein causes no increase in the nuclear translocation of DAF-16 (DAF-16::GFP expressing strain, incubation time: 1h) and it still induces longevity even in a DAF-16 loss-of-function strain, we conclude, that baicalein increases stress-resistance and life span in C. elegans via SKN-1 but not DAF-16.
