# Mechanistic Modulation of Autophagy by Bioactive Natural Products: Implications for Human Aging and Longevity

## TL;DR

This review explores how natural compounds can regulate autophagy, a key cellular process, to potentially slow aging and improve health.

## Contribution

The paper provides a comprehensive overview of how bioactive natural products modulate autophagy and their implications for aging.

## Key findings

- Natural compounds modulate autophagy through pathways like AMPK, PI3K/AKT/mTOR, SIRT1, and FOXO.
- These compounds can restore suppressed autophagy and prevent excessive autophagy-induced cell death.
- They show geroprotective effects but face challenges like bioavailability and dose dependency.

## Abstract

Autophagy is an evolutionarily preserved intracellular degradation process pivotal in maintaining proteostasis, mitochondrial homeostasis, and metabolic equilibrium, all of which are dysregulated with aging. Aberrant autophagy has been recognized as a hallmark of human aging and age-related diseases, including neurodegeneration, metabolic dysfunction, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. Bioactive natural compounds derived from plants, foods, and marine organisms have emerged as potent modulators of autophagy, offering a promising strategy to counteract aging and promote healthy lifespan. Mechanistically, these compounds regulate autophagy by modulating key signaling pathways, such as AMPK, PI3K/AKT/mTOR, SIRT1, and FOXO, while also alleviating oxidative stress, inflammation, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Natural compounds like polyphenols, flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, and carotenoids exhibit dual roles by restoring age-related suppressed autophagic flux and inhibiting excessive autophagy-induced cell death. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of the molecular mechanisms through which bioactive natural compounds modulate autophagy and impact human aging and longevity. We discuss both experimental and clinical evidence supporting their geroprotective effects, limitations regarding bioavailability and dose-dependent effects, and prospects for the utilization of autophagy-targeting natural products in aging intervention strategies.