We all know about doxycycline, but low dose antibiotics such as cephaloridine can modulate gut bacteria to extend lifespan in c. elegans and mammals. What’s interesting is that here we have less of the possibility that the host would be affected by the antibiotic, instead, it appears to confine itself just to the microbiome and get that to mediate the beneficial effects.
Chemical modulation of gut bacterial metabolism induces colanic acid and extends the lifespan of nematode and mammalian hosts
“In recent years, an increasing number of microbiome-based therapeutics have shown benefits to the host, including fecal microbiota transplantation, dietary prebiotics, enteral reconstitution of symbiotic bacteria, the introduction of engineered bacteria, and supplementation of microbiota-derived bioactive compounds [16]. Here, we introduce a microbiome-based approach that uses host-impermeable drugs to specifically target metabolic biosynthesis pathways in gut commensals to promote host longevity. Distinct from those existing strategies, this approach chemically targets the existing commensal community to induce the production of metabolic products beneficial to the host. We demonstrated this approach in both Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans ) and Mus musculus (mice), and further uncovered the molecular mechanism underlying this chemical-induced effect in Escherichia coli (E. coli ).”