Long-Term Dietary Supplementation with a Yang-Invigorating Chinese Herbal Formula Increases Lifespan and Mitigates Age-Associated Declines in Mitochondrial Antioxidant Status and Functional Ability of Various Tissues in Male and Female C57BL/6J Mice

To investigate whether Vigconic 28 (VI-28), a Yang-invigorating Chinese herbal formula, could affect survival of aging animals, male and female C57BL/6J mice were given a VI-28–supplemented diet (0.05 and 0.5%, wt/wt) starting at 36 weeks of age, until death. VI-28 dietary supplementation at 0.05% significantly increased median lifespans of both male and female mice as compared to controls. Survival enhancement was associated with protection against age-associated impairments in mitochondrial antioxidant status and functional ability in various tissues. In conclusion, VI-28 could retard the aging process in mice, probably by mitigating age-associated declines in mitochondrial antioxidant status and functional ability in tissues.