Abstract (eng)
The growing proportion of the elderly population and the associated chronic diseases pose an ever-increasing challenge to health care systems in countries all over the world. Therefore, one focus of today’s research is on deciphering the mechanisms of the aging process and finding new targets that positively influence the lifespan. Measuring the lifespan of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is a very popular tool in aging research to evaluate the life-extending effect of natural products.
In a previous study, a lead-like enhanced extract generated from the heartwood of Pterocarpus santalinus (i.e., red sandalwood; PtesanXDM), the DCM fraction of PtesanXDM (PtesanXDM_DCM) and one sub-fraction (PSD01_03), showed promising effects in C. elegans by significantly prolonging the nematodes’ lifespan. Apart from this, the samples were also screened in a cell-based in vitro assay in HUVECs to assess their anti-inflammatory property. PSD01_03 showed promising results in both test systems and based on these, this sub-fraction was selected for an in-depth investigation resulting in two subject areas in this thesis:
The phytochemical investigation of a bioactive fraction from P. santalinus affecting the health span of C. elegans, and application of a biochemometric approach for the targeted isolation of in vitro anti-inflammatory compounds in P. santalinus.