Research on Anti-aging Function and Mechanism of Pond Turtle Protein-derived Peptides on Drosophila melanogaster

Objective: To explore the anti-aging function and mechanism of pond turtle protein-derived peptides (PTPDP) on Drosophila melanogaster. Methods: PTPDP were obtained by enzymatic hydrolysis of turtle meat. Nutrients content, molecular weight distribution and amino acid composition of PTPDP were determined. D. melanogaster were fed with 0.2%, 0.4%, and 0.8% PTPDP. The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), along with the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) were determined to analyze the anti-aging function of PTPDP. The anti-aging mechanism was explored by measuring the expression of antioxidant genes (Sod1, Sod2 and Cat) and lifespan-related genes (mth and Rpn11) in female D. melanogaster fed with 0.8% PTPDP. Results: The enzymatic hydrolysis products of turtle meat were mainly composed of small molecule peptides less than 1000 Da. PTPDP were rich in amino acids with antioxidant activity, such as glycine, glutamic acid and proline. In the survival experiment, the average lifespans of female and male D. melanogaster were significantly prolonged by 18.92% and 9.37% (P