Geroscience, the study of aging and age-related diseases, has become a popular area of research in recent years. Here, the focus is not on treating age-related illnesses, but preventing or delaying their onset by understanding the biological mechanisms underlying aging. In a recent study, researchers discovered that Cyrene, a plant-derived solvent, can extend lifespan and improve health in model organisms, raising new questions about how small molecules might influence aging.
Published in npj Aging, the study examined Cyrene’s effects on two organisms used in aging research: The microscopic roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans and the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. These species share many biological pathways with humans, allowing scientists to observe aging-related changes quickly across many generations.
Abdelrahman AlOkda, a former PhD student in McGill University’s Integrated Program in Neuroscience who worked in the Van Raamsdonk Neuroscience Lab, led this study. In an interview with The Tribune, AlOkda noted the discovery of Cyrene’s anti-aging effects was unexpected. While evaluating Cyrene as a potential solvent, he noticed that worms exposed to the compound lived significantly longer than untreated worms.
“This was just a side discovery,” AlOkda said. “Cyrene is a solvent. It’s not supposed to do this. When we saw the animals living longer and resisting stress better, the reaction was, ‘What is happening here?’”
AlOkda exposed worms to several concentrations of Cyrene and monitored their lifespan. A concentration of about one per cent produced the best results, significantly extending lifespan while producing only mild side effects such as slight developmental delays and small reductions in fertility.
The compound did more than simply extend lifespan. Worms treated with Cyrene also maintained stronger movement as they aged, suggesting improvements in what is called ‘healthspan.’
“You could extend lifespan but still have animals that are unhealthy,” AlOkda added. “What researchers really care about is healthspan, [which is] the period where the organism is still functioning well. There’s no point living longer if you’re sick the entire time.”
The treated worms also showed increased resilience when exposed to environmental stress. They survived heat, oxidative damage, and other stress conditions better than untreated worms, particularly later in life. Because aging often reduces the body’s ability to cope with stress, maintaining this resilience may indicate that protective cellular systems remain active for longer.
Moreover, cyrene appeared to help protect against neurodegenerative disease in experimental models. Worm strains engineered to mimic conditions similar to Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, or Huntington’s disease typically show reduced movement as toxic proteins accumulate in their cells. Worms treated with Cyrene, however, maintained higher levels of activity, suggesting the compound may help preserve nervous system function.
“A geroprotective compound affects the process of aging in a positive way,” AlOkda explained. “Instead of treating just one disease, you’re modifying aging itself. When you slow aging down, you can potentially protect against multiple age-related diseases.”
Another finding involved the worms’ bacterial food source. In some experiments, chemicals extended worm lifespan simply by altering the metabolism of bacteria used in laboratory cultures, indirectly changing the worms’ diet. AlOkda tested this possibility and found that Cyrene extended lifespan even when worms were fed bacteria that could not grow or reproduce, implying that the compound acts directly on the organism itself rather than the bacteria in its food.
To test whether Cyrene’s effects extend beyond worms, AlOkda repeated similar experiments with fruit flies. Flies exposed to certain concentrations of Cyrene lived longer than untreated flies, with lifespan increases ranging from about 11 to 29 per cent depending on the dose and the sex of the flies. These results suggest that Cyrene may influence biological mechanisms shared across different species.
However, AlOkda cautions that the findings remain preliminary. Studies in worms and flies provide perspective into biological mechanisms, but they do not guarantee that the same effects will occur in mammals or humans. Further research is needed to understand how Cyrene interacts with cellular pathways and whether similar benefits could appear in more complex organisms.
“This discovery was really just a side quest,” AlOkda concluded.
For now, the discovery shows how unexpected observations can lead to important scientific breakthroughs: A compound originally developed as a sustainable solvent may now offer new clues about how organisms maintain resilience against aging.
