Journal of agricultural and food chemistryNov 24, 2025

L-Quebrachitol from Sea Buckthorn Leaves May Extend Lifespan by Boosting Antioxidants and Cell Recycling through Key Energy and Stress Control Pathways

Longevity & Aging Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Jun 27, 2026

Abstract

Essence

L-quebrachitol from sea buckthorn leaves extended lifespan and improved aging-related stress and mitochondrial measures in C. elegans.

Evidence

This was a preclinical nematode study that isolated and characterized QBC, then tested lifespan, lipofuscin, stress resistance, motility, mitochondrial health, AMPK/SIR-2.1/DAF-16/IIS signaling, and autophagy in C. elegans, with 50 μg/mL reported as the optimal dose.

Caveat

The findings are limited to a C. elegans model and mechanistic pathway assays, so they do not establish antiaging effects in humans.

Simplified

L-Quebrachitol (QBC), a derivative of L-inositol, exhibits antioxidant and antimetabolic disorder properties; however, its antiaging effects remain unexplored. This study isolated QBC from sea buckthorn leaves using the CaO/resin purification-methanol precipitation method. The structure was confirmed using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), ultraperformance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS), and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). QBC was found to extend the lifespan of(with an optimal dose of 50 μg/mL), reduce lipofuscin accumulation, and enhance stress resistance, motility, and mitochondrial health. Further studies have found that QBC activates the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling pathway via dietary restriction and mitochondrial uncoupling. This then upregulates the key transcription factors DAF-16, SKN-1, and HSF-1 within the SIR-2.1 and insulin/insulin-like growth factor signaling (IIS) pathways. The activation of these transcription factors helps to maintain protein homeostasis and enhances nematode resistance. In addition, QBC demonstrated significant autophagy induction, dependent on the regulation of AMPK and DAF-16. In conclusion, this study provides the first insight into the antiaging activity of QBC and its potential mechanisms. By activating the AMPK/SIR-2.1/DAF-16 and IIS signaling pathways, QBC regulates the antioxidant system and the autophagy response, thereby effectively delaying the aging process in. Caenorhabditis elegans C. elegans