83830
The Impact of Rhodiola rosea on Fecundity in Drosophila melanogaster
Jeffrey Felgner
Mentor: Mahtab Jafari
Recent advances in aging research have revealed many biochemical pathways that influence lifespan
in a number of different well-known model species, such as Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila
melanogaster. In turn, this has opened the door for drug discovery in both pharmaceuticals and
botanicals. Botanicals such as Rhodiola rosea have been found to be very powerful antioxidants that
could effectively delay the aging process with little cytotoxic effects. Recent studies have provided
evidence that Rhodiola rosea decreases mortality rate in Drosophila melanogaster, but the physiological and
pharmacological mechanisms for this effect are not understood. Drug effects on reproduction in
female Drosophila can indirectly influence the aging process, and it is well established that decreased
fecundity is associated with increased longevity. Here we examined the dose dependent effects of
Rhodiola on fecundity in Drosophila. At the high doses (60, 100, and 200 mg/ml) we observed a dose
dependent decrease in fecundity. At low doses (15, 30, and 60 mg/ml), in which a significant
mortality benefit was observed, there was no statistically significant difference in fecundity relative to
the control. This result indicates that the extended longevity previously observed at low Rhodiola
doses is not due to decreased fecundity. The discovery of no reproductive impairment at doses that
increase longevity suggests that Rhodiola is a promising candidate to treat human aging.