Nighttime Blue Light Promotes Lipid Accumulation and Shortens Lifespan via DAF-16/SOD-3-Mediated Oxidative Stress in C. elegans.
4 affiliations
- 1Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350108, China.
- 2Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350108, China.
- 3Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi 830017, China.
- 4Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Gastrointestinal Cancer, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350108, China.
Abstract
Background
Light, a crucial abiotic factor, consistently modulates organismal physiological activities. However, artificial light at night (ALAN) presents a considerable challenge. The widespread use of blue-light-rich light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in electronic products contributes to "blue light enrichment". With population aging, the prevalence of obesity among older adults was expected to continue to increase. ALAN potentially induced obesity and shortened lifespan. However, the underlying pathogenic mechanism remains poorly understood.Methods
In this study, we investigated the effects of blue light on aging and lipid accumulation. Transcriptome and proteome analyses were performed to explore the potential regulatory mechanisms. Based on the enrichment results, we measured markers of lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). We also conducted gene knockout experiments to verify the core regulatory genes.Results
The results showed that nighttime blue light induced lipid accumulation and aging in animals. Transcriptome and proteome analyses revealed that these effects might involve lipid transport, fatty acid metabolism, and oxidoreductase activity. Based on the enrichment results, we measured markers of lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress in C. elegans. Nighttime blue light exposure increased ROS, lipofuscin, lipid levels, and DAF-16 nuclear translocation, and decreased daf-16/sod-3. Notably, sod-3 knockout further exacerbated nighttime blue-light-induced lipid accumulation and lifespan shortening.Conclusions
In conclusion, our observations in C. elegans suggest that blue light is associated with altered DAF-16/SOD-3 signaling and that SOD-3 appears to contribute to protection against blue-light-induced stress. These findings provide experimental evidence from C. elegans supporting minimizing unnecessary nighttime lighting, particularly blue light exposure.
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BibTeX
@article{cheng2026nighttime,
title = {{Nighttime Blue Light Promotes Lipid Accumulation and Shortens Lifespan via DAF-16/SOD-3-Mediated Oxidative Stress in C. elegans.}},
author = {Zilong Cheng and Bayindala Xiagedeer and Qianqi Tu and Jian Zhang and Yinhan Li and Runhua Hao and Zhiyu Zhang and Yajiao Wu and Huan Tang and An Zhu and Hong Hu},
journal = {Genes},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/genes17101263},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42938379},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Nighttime Blue Light Promotes Lipid Accumulation and Shortens Lifespan via DAF-16/SOD-3-Mediated Oxidative Stress in C. elegans.
AU - Zilong Cheng
AU - Bayindala Xiagedeer
AU - Qianqi Tu
AU - Jian Zhang
AU - Yinhan Li
AU - Runhua Hao
AU - Zhiyu Zhang
AU - Yajiao Wu
AU - Huan Tang
AU - An Zhu
AU - Hong Hu
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/11
JO - Genes
DO - 10.3390/genes17101263
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42938379
AB - Background Light, a crucial abiotic factor, consistently modulates organismal physiological activities. However, artificial light at night (ALAN) presents a considerable challenge. The widespread use of blue-light-rich light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in electronic products contributes to "blue light enrichment". With population aging, the prevalence of obesity among older adults was expected to continue to increase. ALAN potentially induced obesity and shortened lifespan. However, the underlying pathogenic mechanism remains poorly understood.Methods In this study, we investigated the effects of blue light on aging and lipid accumulation. Transcriptome and proteome analyses were performed to explore the potential regulatory mechanisms. Based on the enrichment results, we measured markers of lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). We also conducted gene knockout experiments to verify the core regulatory genes.Results The results showed that nighttime blue light induced lipid accumulation and aging in animals. Transcriptome and proteome analyses revealed that these effects might involve lipid transport, fatty acid metabolism, and oxidoreductase activity. Based on the enrichment results, we measured markers of lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress in C. elegans. Nighttime blue light exposure increased ROS, lipofuscin, lipid levels, and DAF-16 nuclear translocation, and decreased daf-16/sod-3. Notably, sod-3 knockout further exacerbated nighttime blue-light-induced lipid accumulation and lifespan shortening.Conclusions In conclusion, our observations in C. elegans suggest that blue light is associated with altered DAF-16/SOD-3 signaling and that SOD-3 appears to contribute to protection against blue-light-induced stress. These findings provide experimental evidence from C. elegans supporting minimizing unnecessary nighttime lighting, particularly blue light exposure.
SN - 2073-4425
ER -