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Administration of krill oil extends lifespan of fish Nothobranchius guentheri via enhancement of antioxidant system and suppression of NF-κB pathway

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Abstract

Krill oil (KO) extracted from Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) mainly comprises phospholipids and triglycerides. KO has been shown to prolong the median lifespan of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, but to shorten the lifespan of long-lived F1 mice; therefore, it remains controversial over the life-extending property of KO. In this study, we clearly demonstrated that dietary intake of KO extended both the mean and maximum lifespans of aged male Nothobranchius guentheri (p < 0.05), reduced the accumulation of lipofuscin (LF) (p < 0.05) in the gills and senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-Gal) (p < 0.05) in the caudal fins, and lowered the levels of protein oxidation (p < 0.05), lipid peroxidation (p < 0.01), and reactive oxygen species (ROS) (p < 0.01) in the muscles and livers, indicating that KO possesses rejuvenation and anti-aging activity. We also showed that KO enhanced the activities of antioxidant enzymes catalase (CAT) (p < 0.05), superoxide dismutase (SOD) (p < 0.05), and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) (p < 0.05) in aged male N. guentheri. In addition, KO administration effectively reversed histological lesions including inflammatory cell infiltration and structural collapse in the muscles and livers of aged N. guentheri and suppressed the nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) signaling pathway (p < 0.05), a master regulator of inflammation. Altogether, our study indicates that KO has anti-aging and rejuvenation property. It also suggests that KO exerts its anti-aging and rejuvenation effects via enhancement of the antioxidant system and suppression of the NF-κB signaling pathway.

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Funding

This work was supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology (grant number: 2018YFD0900505) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number: 32073000).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity and Department of Marine Biology, Ocean University of China, 5 Yushan Road, Qingdao, 266003, China

    Lili Song, Kun Xiao & Shicui Zhang

  2. Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Key Laboratory of Sustainable Development of Polar Fishery, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, 266071, Qingdao, China

    Kailiang Leng

  3. Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), Qingdao, 266200, China

    Kailiang Leng

  4. Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), Qingdao, 266003, China

    Shicui Zhang

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  1. Lili Song
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SZ and LS designed the experiments and wrote the paper; LS, KX, and KL performed the experiments; LS and SZ analyzed the data; and all authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Shicui Zhang.

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All the fish used were treated in accordance with the guidelines of the Laboratory Animal Administration Law of China with the permit number SD2007695 approved by the Ethics Committee of the Laboratory Animal Administration of Shandong province.

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Song, L., Leng, K., Xiao, K. et al. Administration of krill oil extends lifespan of fish Nothobranchius guentheri via enhancement of antioxidant system and suppression of NF-κB pathway. Fish Physiol Biochem 48, 1057–1073 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10695-022-01102-3

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