Clove essential oil confers antioxidant activity and lifespan extension in C. elegans via the DAF-16/FOXO transcription factor.

Clove (Eugenia caryophyllata Thunb.) essential oil (CEO) has been extensively utilized and well-recognized due to its wide medicinal activities. In our study, the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) technology was applied in characterizing the CEO chemical composition. Altogether 58 volatile components were discovered from bud CEO. To further clarify the antioxidant and anti-aging activities of CEO in vivo, the nematode C. elegans was used as an animal model. The results suggested that, chronic CEO treatment significantly extended the lifespan and promoted the production and health. As expected, CEO possessed antioxidant activities against the reactive oxygen species (ROS) through inducing the expression of SOD-3 or GST-4. Meanwhile, it was found that CEO treatment induced the DAF-16/FOXO nuclear translocation from the cytoplasm. Finally, the results indicated that CEO caused the apoptosis of germ cells in acep-1 and daf-16 dependent manner. Overall, our research suggests that CEO possesses antioxidant and anti-aging activities, and that DAF-16 may be essential for its biological functions.