Diet supplementation with sodium pyruvate increases sleep time and lifespan in Drosophila model

Abstract Sodium pyruvate is a natural metabolite commonly used in biological fields, including cell culture. This study investigated the effects of sodium pyruvate on the lifespan and other physiological characters of Drosophila melanogaster , by measuring feeding, fecundity, and spontaneous activity. The results indicated that 0.2 mol/L of sodium pyruvate increased the median lifespan of female flies by 8.33%. Moreover, the group sleep duration of female flies significantly increased by 53.98% when exposed to the sodium pyruvate concentration. However, the intake of sodium pyruvate did not significantly affect the fecundity or food intake of female flies. Our results also show that the effect of extending lifespan and increasing sleep time was dose‐dependent and sex‐specific. Our data provides the role of sodium pyruvate as an insect culture additive by enhancing survival.