A new utilization of total flavonoids from Acer truncatum samara and leaves: Anti-aging and metabolic regulation

The activity exploration for resource plants will extend the scope of their rationalization and utilization. Acer truncatum is a high-quality resource plant in China with broad development prospects. In this study, the total flavonoids from the leaves (TF-L) and samaras (TF-S) were extracted and analyzed by LC-MS/MS. TF-L showed higher antioxidation than that of TF-S. We thus evaluated the life-prolonging characteristics and metabolic regulation of TF-L on Caenorhabditis elegans. TF-L and TF-S prolonged the life span of 22.15 % and 20.83 % in C.elegans. TF-L inhibited the oxidative stress induced by juglone, increased the catalase activities of superoxide dismutase, and reduced reactive oxygen species and malondialdehydelevels. It also inhibited lipofuscin production, an aging marker. Based on LC-MS/MS metabolic analysis and qRT-PCR validation, TF-L affected the insulin/insulin-like growth factor signal pathway. We first found that the K09A9.6, ZK550.5, and ZK550.6 were the hub for TF-L to regulate anti-aging and resist oxidative stress in vivo. Our findings provided a new functional purpose for the economic forest tree, A. truncatum, and offered a new approach for developing derivative products from A. truncatum.