(P01-006-20) Azelaic Acid Promotes Fatty Acid Desaturation in Caenorhabditis elegans at Cold Temperature, Thereby Enhancing Longevity

Objectives: Azelaic acid (AzA), a naturally occurring α,ω-dicarboxylic acid in wheat, rye, barley and sorghum, has been reported to exert anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidation property. AzA has long been used as an antiacne drug by inhibiting bacterial DNA synthesis. Recently, its role in reducing high fat diet-induced adiposity through activation of olfactory receptor 544 has been reported. However, its physiological role in environmental stress (e.g., fasting and cold) and aging is unknown.

Methods: We conducted PCR analysis and lifespan assay under multiple stress conditions (fasting, cold, and oxidative stress) using C.elegans

Results: Using C. elegans as an invertebrate animal model, we demonstrate that AzA treatment resulted in a significant extension of the survival under cold and oxidative stressed condition with no effects on the pumping rates, locomotive activities and growth rate. This was accompanied by a marked increase in expression of fatty acid desaturases genes, such as fat-1, fat-5 and fat-7, with a decrease in lipolysis related genes such as aak-2 and atgl-1. Moreover, the effect of AzA on the survival under cold condition was abolished in the fat-1, fat-5, fat-7 and aak-2 mutants.

Conclusions: Taken together, our results suggested that azelaic acid contributes to lifespan extension at low temperature in C. elegans through augmentation of unsaturated fatty acid synthesis.

Funding Sources: The Rural Development Administration of the Republic of Korea