[
WormBook,
2008]
Aging is characterized by progressive degenerative changes in tissue organization and function that increase the probability of mortality. Major goals of aging research include elucidating the series of events that cause degenerative changes and analyzing environmental and genetic factors that modulate these changes. The basis for mechanistic studies of aging are accurate and precise descriptions of age-related changes, since these descriptions define the aging phenotype. Here we review studies that describe age-related changes in C. elegans including measurements of integrated functions such as behavior, microscopic analyses of tissue organization, and biochemical studies of macromolecules. Genetic and environmental factors that influence these changes are described, and studies that analyze the relationships between different age-related changes are discussed. Together these studies provide fundamental insights into aging in C. elegans that may be relevant to aging in other animals.
[
Exp Gerontol,
2006]
The identification and analysis of compounds that delay aging and extend lifespan is an important aspect of gerontology research; these studies can test theories of aging, lead to the discovery of endogenous systems that influence aging, and establish the foundation for treatments that might delay normal human aging. Here we review studies using the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans to identify and characterize compounds that delay aging and extend lifespan. These studies are considered in four groups: (1) Studies that address the free-radical theory of aging by analyzing candidate compounds with antioxidant activities including vitamin E, tocotrienols, coenzyme Q, and Eukarion-8/134. (2) Studies that analyze plant extracts (blueberry and Ginko biloba) that contain a mixture of compounds. (3) Studies of resveratrol, which was identified in a screen for compounds that affect the activity of the Sir2 protein that influences lifespan. (4) Studies based on screening compound libraries using C. elegans aging as a bioassay, which led to the identification of the anticonvulsant medicines ethosuximide and trimethadione. There has been exciting progress in the analysis of compounds that influence C. elegans aging, and important challenges and opportunities remain in determining the mechanisms of action of these compounds and the relevance of these observations to aging of other animals.