An antidepressant that extends lifespan in adult Caenorhabditis elegans

Michael Petrascheck, Xiaolan Ye and Linda B. Buck ()
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Michael Petrascheck: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 1100 Fairview Avenue North, Seattle, Washington 98109-1024, USA
Xiaolan Ye: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 1100 Fairview Avenue North, Seattle, Washington 98109-1024, USA
Linda B. Buck: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 1100 Fairview Avenue North, Seattle, Washington 98109-1024, USA

Nature, 2007, vol. 450, issue 7169, 553-556

Abstract: A long life but a happy one? A large-scale screen for lifespan-enhancing chemicals in Caenorhabditis elegans has come up with a surprise: mianserin, used as an antidepressant in humans, increases the 3-week lifespan of the nematode by almost a third. In humans, this drug blocks signalling by the neurotransmitter serotonin, and the life-prolonging effect in C. elegans also involves serotonin receptors, and shows similarities to lifespan extension by dietary restriction. One possibility is that mianserin induces a state of perceived — rather than real — starvation. Intriguingly, appetite stimulation is a side effect of mianserin in humans, raising the possibility of linkage between appetite and lifespan.

Date: 2007
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DOI: 10.1038/nature05991

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