Developmental Diet Partially Determines Age-Related Changes in Metabolism of Drosophila

Aging and metabolism are inextricably linked and both are critical for longevity. Changes in energy metabolism occur during normal aging and may be partly improved through the alteration of lifestyle variables. Macronutrients have a significant impact on life-history traits, such as disease vulnerability, reproduction, longevity and stress resistance. We investigated the age-related changes in the metabolism of fruit flies Drosophila melanogaster fed different diets at the developmental stage. Adult flies were transferred to the fresh two types of food. Two-, 15- or 40-day-old flies of every experimental group were tested. We observed significant changes in carbohydrate and fat metabolism associated with developmental diet and age. Developmental nutrition influenced hemolymph glucose and triglyceride (TAG) levels in young and adult flies. Hence, the consumption of a fixed diet during a long period of the adult stage can equalize the impact of a developmental diet. Higher hemolymph glucose level was observed in flies fed by a medium composed of 5% yeast as compared to a Yeast-Molasses medium during development. However, higher TAG and lipid pool were associated with consumption of Yeast-Molasses medium during development. Carbohydrate storage declined with the simultaneous increase in lipid pool with age. The impact of developmental nutrition and age on carbohydrate and lipid metabolism are not associated with gender or nutrition during adult life. Insulin and insulin-growth-factor-like signaling and target of rapamycin (TOR) pathways may be considered as the potential mechanisms involved in the regulation of developmental pathways by dietary conditions. Our data clearly show the connection between nutritional conditions during development and metabolic alteration with aging in Drosophila.