Investigation of the protective effects of Vitamin C, iron and desferrioxamine on heat stress resistance in the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of Vitamin C (Vit. C), iron, the iron chelating agent desferrioxamine (DF) and their most effective dose combinations on thermotolerance of Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). Due to the fact that studies on aging and lifespan take long time, thermotolerance was used as a first step analysis for using the time more effectively. The data of this study showed that when compared with the control group, the use of vitamin C, DF and iron alone or their combinations were associated with an increase in the survival of C. elegans under heat shock. However, the treatment with DF and its combinations resulted in a survival rate significantly higher than the other combinations. The results of our study suggested that under conditions of heat stress, treatment of DF has the most significant beneficial effect on survival of C. elegans, suggesting some possible pleiotropic mechanisms other than iron chelation.

Key words: Thermotolerance, vitamin C, iron, desferrioxamine, aging.