Dietary Supplementation of Ocimum tenuiflorum Improves Life Span and Shows Anti- Aging Effects in Model Drosophila melanogaster

Aging is a complex and progressive physiological phenomenon. It is a global challenge characterized by the gradual decline of physiological function and cell integrity, leading to a decline in an organism’s health. Out of all the other factors, ROS accumulation and increased oxidative stress are the major factors that cause aging in organisms. This research aims to study the anti-aging effects and their associated mechanism of action of the herbal plant Ocimum tenuiflorum in the model organism Drosophila melanogaster. We studied the various fitness physiological parameters, stress parameters, and oxidative parameters. Our study found that the supplementation of the herbal drug significantly improved the longevity of both sexes in Drosophila melanogaster flies. Also, the plant improved the anti- oxidative enzyme levels, which were decreased in aged flies as compared to control flies. This study concludes that the O. tenuiflorum shows significantly positive effects on the improvement of health, life span, and anti- oxidative stress parameters in D. melanogaster flies. DOI: https://doi.org/10.52783/jchr.v15.i6.11474