Show notes
Today we’re talking about a molecule that keeps popping up in “healthy ageing” conversations: cordycepin (3′-deoxyadenosine) 🍄But instead of vague claims, we’re going to ground this in C. elegans data — lifespan, stress resistance, movement, oxidative stress markers, and what happens to lipids along the way.⸻🧬 What’s the question?Cordycepin is linked to antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects, but its anti-ageing mechanism hasn’t been clear. This paper asks a simple question: does cordycepin extend worm lifespan, and if so — how?⸻⏱️ What they found in wormsCordycepin extended lifespan under normal conditions and under heat stress. At the higher dose (2 mg/mL), mean lifespan increased by ~28.5% compared with controls. It also improved healthspan-type measures: better locomotion (head swings), reduced age pigment lipofuscin, and lower oxidative stress. Importantly, the authors report no obvious cost in body size or reproduction under their conditions. ⸻🧪 The mechanism in plain termsThe story here has two big parts:1) Antioxidant protection ✅Cordycepin reduced ROS accumulation and increased antioxidant enzyme activities (CAT, SOD, GSH-PX). 2) Fatty acid metabolism gets rewired 🧈Metabolomics showed cordycepin shifted multiple metabolites — notably decreasing linoleic acid and oleic acid, alongside changes in other metabolic intermediates. Transcriptomics pointed to upregulation of fatty-acid and β-oxidation–linked genes, including acox-1.2/1.3/1.4, acs-1, acs-15, acdh-1, acdh-4, acdh-8, with pathway enrichment in fatty acid degradation/metabolism, peroxisome and related networks. So the argument is: cordycepin extends lifespan by strengthening oxidative stress defences and shifting lipid handling in a pro-longevity direction.⸻🧠 The take-home messageCordycepin isn’t framed here as a magic bullet — it’s framed as a compound that pushes two core ageing levers in worms: redox balance and fatty acid metabolism.If you work on stress, metabolism, lipid biology, or whole-organism ageing, this one is worth a look.⸻📄 Paper discussedSun, Y.; Zhong, M.; Wang, J.; Feng, M.; Shen, C.; Han, Z.; Cao, X.; Zhang, Q. (2025). Cordycepin extends the longevity of Caenorhabditis elegans via antioxidation and regulation of fatty acid metabolism. European Journal of Pharmacology, 994, 177388. DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2025.177388 ⸻If you enjoyed this episode, please like, follow, and subscribe wherever you listen to the WOrM Podcast ⭐🎧 It really helps others find the show.This podcast is generated with artificial intelligence and curated by Veeren. If you’d like your publication featured on the show, please get in touch.📩 More info:🔗 www.veerenchauhan.com📧 [email protected]