Aging is an unavoidable process characterized by gradual failure of homeostasis that constitutes a critical risk factor for several age-related disorders. It has been unveiled that manipulation of various key pathways may decelerate the aging progression and the triggering of age-related diseases. As a consequence, the identification of compounds, preferably natural-occurring, administered through diet, with lifespan-extending, anti-aggregation and anti-oxidation properties that in parallel exhibit negligible side-effects is the main goal in the battle against aging. Here we analyze the role of 2,3-dehydrosilybin A/B (DHS A/B), a minor component of silymarin used in a plethora of dietary supplements. This flavonolignan is well-known for its anti-oxidative and neuroprotective properties, among others. We demonstrate that DHS A/B confers oxidative stress resistance not only in human primary cells but also in the context of a multi-cellular aging model, namely Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) where it also promotes lifespan extension. We reveal that these DHS A/B outcomes are FGT-1 and DAF-16 dependent. We additionally demonstrate the anti-aggregation properties of DHS A/B in human cells of nervous origin but also in nematode models of Alzheimer's disease (AD), eventually leading to decelerated progression of AD phenotype. Our results identify DHS A/B as the active component of silymarin extract and propose DHS A/B as a candidate anti-aging and anti-aggregation compound.

Institute of Biology Medicinal Chemistry and Biotechnology National Hellenic Research Foundation 48 Vassileos Constantinou Ave Athens 11635 Greece

Institute of Biology Medicinal Chemistry and Biotechnology National Hellenic Research Foundation 48 Vassileos Constantinou Ave Athens 11635 Greece; Institute of Nutrition Faculty of Biology and Pharmacy Friedrich Schiller University of Jena 25 Dornburger Str 07743 Jena Germany

Institute of Microbiology Laboratory of Biotransformation Czech Academy of Sciences Vídeňská 1083 142 20 Prague Czech Republic

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Silymarin Dehydroflavonolignans Chelate Zinc and Partially Inhibit Alcohol Dehydrogenase

Chirality Matters: Biological Activity of Optically Pure Silybin and Its Congeners

Dehydroflavonolignans from Silymarin Potentiate Transition Metal Toxicity In Vitro but Are Protective for Isolated Erythrocytes Ex Vivo

Simple and Rapid HPLC Separation and Quantification of Flavonoid, Flavonolignans, and 2,3-Dehydroflavonolignans in Silymarin

Complex Evaluation of Antioxidant Capacity of Milk Thistle Dietary Supplements

Poor chemical and microbiological quality of the commercial milk thistle-based dietary supplements may account for their reported unsatisfactory and non-reproducible clinical outcomes

Isolated Silymarin Flavonoids Increase Systemic and Hepatic Bilirubin Concentrations and Lower Lipoperoxidation in Mice