TITLE:
Withania somnifera Root Extract Enhances Telomerase Activity in the Human HeLa Cell Line
AUTHORS:
Vasantharaja Raguraman, Jamuna R. Subramaniam
KEYWORDS:
Ashwagandha, Telomerase, HeLa Cell Line, TRAP Assay
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Bioscience and Biotechnology,
Vol.7 No.4,
April
15,
2016
ABSTRACT: Aging is a decelerating unidirectional process of life. Shortening of telomeric DNA, the (TTAGGG)n hexanucleotide repeats, which form the caps at the chromosome ends, is implicated to determine
the aging process, and more importantly the healthy lifespan itself. Telomerase, a ribonucleoprotein
having reverse transcriptase activity, arrests telomere loss through addition of the
TTAGGG repeats de novo, to the ends of the chromosome. The telomere/telomerase maintenance
is an inevitable necessity to delay aging and for a healthy lifespan. Here, we report the potential of
full-spectrum, high concentration Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), an Ayurvedic medicinal
herb, root extract to increase telomerase activity. HeLa cells, when treated with various concentrations
of Ashwagandha root extract, showed an increase in telomerase activity measured with
the established Telomerase Rapid Amplification Protocol (TRAP) assay. Ashwagandha root extract
increased telomerase activity with highest enhancement of ~45% at 10 - 50 μg concentration.
Thus, Ashwagandha root extract has the anti-aging inducing potential.