Oral Transfer of Anti-Aging Substances: Key Chemical Found in Reproductive Caste of Termites

With the rapid increase in global population aging, the incidence and mortality rates of age-related diseases are rising, becoming a worldwide issue. Therefore, researching and discovering natural compounds with anti-aging properties is crucial. Social insects such as termites exhibit significant differences in lifespan between reproductive and non-reproductive castes. Reproductive castes are exclusively fed by worker termites through trophallaxis, providing a convenient model for the discovery of natural anti-aging compounds. This thesis systematically investigates the trophallactic fluid among different caste members of termite Reticulitermes labralis. A total of 1028 metabolites were identified in the trophallactic fluid, seven of which have been validated in the KEGG database to possess anti-aging functions. This indicates that the trophallactic fluid of termites indeed contains natural compounds that promote longevity. Using the "fishing method", we successfully screened out potential life-extending compounds, including IDA (trans-3-indoleacrylic acid). Preliminary experimental results showed that IDA influences lifespan by modulating the IIS (insulin/insulin-like growth factor signaling) pathway and the RAS pathway. Notably, the modulation of the IIS pathway by IDA does not require the involvement of foxoa. Our research findings suggest that the extended lifespan of reproductive termites is diet-related and that the lifespan-extending effects of these nutritionally regulated natural compounds are conserved across different taxa.