Skulachev ions for vascular rejuvenation
Vascular aging can be stopped with the help of antioxidants
The report on the work is published in the open access journal Aging (Zinovkin et al., Role of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species in age-related inflammatory activation of endothelium).
It is known that chronic inflammation in the vascular endothelium is accompanied by an increase in the concentration of reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by mitochondria and the occurrence of oxidative stress, which causes a variety of disorders in the work of cells. However, it has not been established whether oxidative stress is one of the triggers of an inflammatory reaction. In addition, clinical studies published to date on the use of traditional antioxidants that neutralize reactive oxygen species for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases have ended in complete failure.
In order to establish what role ROS formed in mitochondria play in endothelial inflammation, the staff of the Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology named after Belozersky, the Faculty of Bioengineering and Bioinformatics, and the Lomonosov Moscow State University Mitoengineering Research Institute used plastoquinonyl-decyl-triphenylphosphonium (SkQ1), a powerful antioxidant capable of selectively accumulating in mitochondria. In elderly (24 months) mice treated with this substance for 8 months, the concentration of the so-called adhesion molecules ICAM1 and VCAM, which are responsible for attracting immune system cells that trigger inflammation to the vascular endothelium, sharply decreased in the aortic endothelium. The level of these molecules in elderly rodents decreased by half, equaling the same indicator in young animals.
The graph from the article in Aging shows that the level of the four studied indicators has decreased,
but with the characteristic of young mice, only one equaled – VM
Subsequent experiments on cell cultures confirmed that the addition of SkQ1 suppresses the expression of adhesion molecules, as well as the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines (signaling proteins or peptides that regulate the activity of cells of the immune system). The authors of the study note that a similar effect in cell cultures was achieved with the use of classical antioxidants – N-acetylcysteine and Trolox (a water-soluble analogue of vitamin E, studied as a potential drug by Hoffmann-La Roche), but their effective concentrations were millions of times higher than that of SkQ1.
The high efficiency of negligible concentrations of SkQ1 is most likely due to the ability of this compound to selectively neutralize mitochondrial ROS. This suggests that mitochondrial ROS play an important role in the development of inflammatory processes associated with vascular aging and the development of atherosclerosis. The authors of the publication believe that SkQ1 and other antioxidants aimed at mitochondria can be used for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases associated with inflammatory processes in the vascular endothelium.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru01.10.2014