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Roles of Oxidative Stress in the Aging Process of Drosophila melanogaster

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Oxidative Stress in Aging

Part of the book series: Aging Medicine ((AGME))

Summary

The oxidative stress hypothesis of aging predicts that progression of the aging process could be retarded and the life spans of animals could be extended by decreases in oxidant production, enhancement of antioxidant defenses, or augmentation of repair capabilities. Some of the results from studies of Drosophila support this idea, but much of the existing evidence seems to be at odds with the most straightforward predictions of the hypothesis. In fact, the most conservative interpretation of the existing studies is that the predictions of the hypothesis need to be revised, in recognition of the physiological roles of oxidant production, the limited access of antioxidants to some sites of oxidant production, and the influence of confounding factors, such as altered rates of metabolism, in studies of life spans in poikilotherms, including Drosophila. Indeed, effects on life span alone do not provide a sufficient basis to infer the efficacy of any experimental treatment on mechanisms of aging in the poikilotherm. Consideration of such issues suggests that despite its wide appeal, further lines of investigation are necessary to verify or falsify the oxidative stress hypothesis.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by National Institutes of Health-National Institute on Aging grants R01 AG7657 (to R.S.S.) and R01 AG15122 (to W.C.O.).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Allied Health Professions, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL

    Robin J. Mockett

  2. School of Pharmacy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

    Rajindar S. Sohal

  3. Department of Biological Sciences, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX

    William C. Orr

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  1. Robin J. Mockett
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  2. Rajindar S. Sohal
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  3. William C. Orr
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Ageing and Health, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

    Satomi Miwa PhD

  2. Functional Genomics Core, Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute, Oakland, CA, USA

    Kenneth B. Beckman PhD

  3. Department of Cellular and Structural Biology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA

    Florian L. Muller PhD

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© 2008 Humana Press, a part of Springer Science + Business Media, LLC

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Mockett, R.J., Sohal, R.S., Orr, W.C. (2008). Roles of Oxidative Stress in the Aging Process of Drosophila melanogaster . In: Miwa, S., Beckman, K.B., Muller, F.L. (eds) Oxidative Stress in Aging. Aging Medicine. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-420-9_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-420-9_7

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-58829-991-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-59745-420-9

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