Melatonin as a geroprotector: Experiments withDrosophila melanogaster

The lifespan ofD. melanogaster treated with melatonin in a concentration of 0.08% at the stage of development is studied. The geroprotective effect of melatonin is the most obvious (up to 12–18%) in comparison with controls with a short lifespan; if the controls' lifespan was relatively long, the hormone exerts negligible or toxic effect shortening the lifespan by up to 10%. Antioxidant mechanism of geroprotective effect of melatonin is discussed in light of the concept of fluctuations in the lifespan in successiveD. melanogaster generations. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 127, No. 2, pp. 205–207, February, 1999