White Tea Aqueous Extract: A Potential Anti-Aging Agent Against High-Fat Diet-Induced Senescence in Drosophila melanogaster

White tea has been scientifically proven to exhibit positive biological effects in combating chronic diseases, including cancer, metabolic syndrome, etc. Nevertheless, the anti-aging activity and mechanism of white tea on organisms exposed to a high-fat diet remain unexplored. Herein, we prepared a white tea aqueous extract (WTAE) from white peony in Fuding and assessed its in vivo antioxidant and anti-aging effects by employing a Drosophila melanogaster senescence model induced by lard, delving into the underlying molecular mechanisms through which the WTAE contributes to lifespan improvement. Notably, the WTAE significantly extended the lifespan of Drosophila fed a high-fat diet and partially restored the climbing ability of Drosophila on a high-fat diet, accompanied by increased activities of copper-zinc superoxide dismutase, manganese-superoxide dismutase, and catalase and decreased lipid hydroperoxide levels in Drosophila. Furthermore, transcriptomic analysis indicated that the WTAE countered aging triggered by a high-fat diet via activating oxidative phosphorylation, neuroactive ligand-receptor interactions, and more pathways, as well as inhibiting circadian rhythm-fly, protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum, and more pathways. Our findings suggest that WTAE exhibits excellent inhibitory activity against high-fat diet-induced senescence and holds promising potential as an anti-aging agent that can be further developed.