Potential senolytic
It is known that the accumulation of senescent (aging) cells causes age-related disorders and aging of the entire organism. If you stop the aging of cells, you can reverse age-related disorders and, as a result, increase the duration of a healthy life of people. A research team from Kobe University, Japan, has discovered the rejuvenating phenomenon of vitamin B2, which increases in response to stress.
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) is found in foods such as meat, eggs and dairy products, and is an important factor for energy production and metabolism. B2 deficiency causes dermatitis, swelling and soreness of the tongue, conjunctivitis and anemia. On the other hand, there are no negative consequences associated with excessive intake of vitamin B2, since the excess is quickly eliminated from the body. Researchers have studied the effect of this substance on aging in the hope of finding an inexpensive and safe anti-aging agent.
They found that cell resistance to aging results from an increase in the amount of SLC52A1 produced, a protein responsible for delivering B2 to cells. Increasing SLC52A1 in human cell cultures prevented aging even under stressful conditions when cells were treated with a drug that damages DNA and causes aging.
In another experiment, the researchers stressed the cells and then increased the amount of vitamin B2 in the solution. As a result, the resistance to aging increased in proportion to the amount of B2 injected. Once inside the cell, it is converted into a flavinadenindinucleotide (FAD) is a coenzyme that accelerates chemical reactions necessary for biological activity, including energy production. In the experiment, the amount of FAD in stressed cells increased, and aging was suppressed.
To investigate the mechanism underlying FAD-associated suppression of cellular aging, the group focused on mitochondria. It is known that a decrease in mitochondrial activity leads to cell aging and that FAD is necessary for energy production in mitochondria, since it is a coenzyme of the respiratory chain complex II. The researchers found that in stressed cells, mitochondrial activity temporarily increased and then decreased, leading to aging. Maintaining a high level of mitochondrial activity due to stress by increasing the amount of vitamin B2 in the culture solution allowed maintaining a high level of mitochondrial activity.
Finally, to analyze the relationship between mitochondrial and anti-aging activities, the researchers evaluated the function of the enzyme AMPK, which determines when there is not enough energy inside the cell, and found that AMPK is suppressed by mitochondrial activity. Conversely, suppression of mitochondrial functions by a drug causes activation of AMPK, which sends signals to the p53 protein, which causes cell aging to stop their division. This cascade leads to age-related changes.
Thus, the results obtained prove that vitamin B2 increases the activity of mitochondria in stressed cells and prevents aging by suppressing the functions of AMPK and p53.
B2 is easily absorbed from food and dietary supplements, and the excess is quickly eliminated from the body. This gives hope that simple and safe methods of treating age-related diseases can be developed on its basis.
The research team plans to repeat experiments on animals to confirm the rejuvenating effect of vitamin B2 in vivo.
Article by T.Nagano et al. Riboflavin transporter SLC52A1, a target of p53, suppresses cellular senescence by activating mitochondrial complex II published in the journal Molecular Biology of the Cell.
Aminat Adzhieva, portal "Eternal Youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of Kobe University: A newly discovered anti-senescence function of Vitamin B2.