Blocking one protein slows down aging
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Medical School, working under the guidance of Professor Paul Robbins, managed to slow down the aging process of mice by blocking the activity of a protein – NF-Kappa B (nuclear factor-kappa-bi) – regulating the activity of certain genes.
According to Professor Robbins, it is believed that aging is the result of the accumulation of cellular damage in the body, including DNA damage. However, experts have not yet been able to decipher the biological mechanisms that trigger the aging process in response to the accumulation of such damage.
As an object of study, the authors chose the protein NF-Kappa B, involved in triggering and blocking the activity of certain genes in response to stress, inflammation and cell damage. The results of earlier studies showed that the aging tissues are characterized by increased activity of NF-Kappa B. The researchers decided to check whether this pattern extends to the tissues of patients with progeria – a hereditary disease characterized by premature aging of the body – and what happens when the activation of this protein is blocked.
A comparison of the tissues of healthy young mice with the tissues of old animals and animals with progeria showed that the tissues of the former contained a much larger relative number of cells in which the nuclear factor-kappa-bi was activated. According to the researchers, it turned out that age-associated activation of this protein in all cases occurs only in part of the cells.
Further experiments showed that suppression of the activity of NF-Kappa B by chemical compounds or a slight change in its expression delayed and reduced the severity of age-related changes in tissues, including in the kidneys, muscles, liver and nervous system of mice. Moreover, it turned out that inhibition of this protein also reduced the amount of oxidative damage resulting from the action of free radicals.
The researchers suggest that the activation of the nuclear factor-kappa-bi is the result of the accumulation of cellular damage that occurs as the body ages. This, in turn, increases the production of free radicals, which leads to the appearance of new cellular damage. Apparently, an agent capable of blocking the nuclear factor, kappa-bi, can be used to slow down the aging process, as well as to treat certain types of cancer and diseases characterized by a violation of the activity of DNA damage repair mechanisms, such as pigmented xeroderma.
The article by Jeremy S. Tilstra et al. NF-kappa-B inhibition delays DNA damage–induced senescence and aging in mice is published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Evgeniya Ryabtseva
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru Based on Medical News Today: Slowing Aging By Blocking A Protein.
26.06.2012