Anti-aging therapy tested on primates: scientists improved the function of just one gene
Earlier studies showed how expression of the clotoo protein increased cognitive function in mouse models; now the therapy has been tested in primates.More than 30 years after scientists identified a key "longevity gene," the klotho protein was used to improve cognitive function in aging Macaca mulatta primates. The authors of the experiment noted that this is an important step toward testing anti-aging therapies in humans.
In the study, the monkeys had to move repeatedly through easy and difficult mazes to find a treat. So the scientists wanted to understand how well the primates remembered the most direct path. The animals repeated the tasks after four hours, after their levels of clotho protein were raised to those of the young.
Tests with easy mazes showed a 6% improvement in memory, but this was not the case with difficult mazes. After the animals had their levels of clotho protein raised, they performed 20% better on the difficult task. The experiment also showed that the effect was shown to last for at least two weeks.
Interestingly, the dosage was much lower than in tests on mice.
The protein, named after the Greek goddess Clotho, who unwinds the thread of human life, is naturally produced in the kidneys and depleted with age. Its deficiency is a factor in arterial "stiffness," hypertension and vascular degeneration and many other age-related diseases.
The study is published in the journal Nature Aging.