Comparative approaches to facilitate the discovery of prolongevity interventions: Effects of tocopherols on lifespan of three invertebrate species

Many compounds hold promise for pharmacologic manipulation of aging. However, such claims are difficult to investigate due to time and budget constraints. Here, we took a comparative approach, using short-lived invertebrate species, to directly test the effects of two tocopherols (Vitamin E) on longevity. γ-Tocopherol represents the most abundant tocopherol in the Western diet, while α-tocopherol is selectively enriched in human plasma. Both isoforms demonstrate antioxidant activity and are proposed to have anti-aging activities. We compared the effects of α- and γ-tocopherol supplementation on lifespan in three invertebrate species. γ-Tocopherol, but not α-tocopherol, slightly extended lifespan in nematodes, but neither significantly affected lifespan in two fly species. This study shows that a comparative approach, utilizing multiple invertebrate species, can increase the robustness of invertebrate-based pilot screens for prolongevity interventions.