So far – only for mice
Is it possible to prolong life by cleansing the body of old cells?
Lyubov Sokovikova, Hi-News
Today, scientists know that over time, our cells accumulate damage in DNA. Some cells successfully repair the damage caused, others self-destruct. And still others retire – they stop growing or dividing and enter a state that we call aging. With age, the number of such cells in the body increases and along the way they become involved in health problems that accompany the aging process. In a paper published in 2016 in the journal Nature, the researchers cleared the body of mice of old cells, which significantly improved the health of rodents and extended their life by a third.
Aging cells of the body are the cause of poor health at age
Researchers from the Mayo Clinic Medical College (USA) came to an amazing discovery – they managed to slow down aging and significantly improve the condition of the kidneys, heart and adipose tissue in rodents. After cleansing the body of old cells, the animals were healthier, and in some cases lived longer. As the publication wrote The Atlantic, the work may turn out to be the most important discovery in the study of aging in history. But how did the scientists manage it?
In 2004, the authors of a study accidentally discovered that disabling a gene called BubR1 – which they initially thought was linked to cancer – actually accelerated the aging process. The mice developed cataracts, developed heart disease, and experienced weight loss. As a result, all rodents that had the BubR1 gene turned off died much earlier than mice that did not have the gene turned off. Later, the researchers found out that much more aging cells accumulated in their body. By 2011, the team had developed a way to isolate and remove these cells from mice that had the BubR1 gene disabled. The results were impressive: when the aging cells disappeared, the health of the rodents improved significantly. The next step of the researchers was the removal of old cells from the body of normal mice.
Healthy middle-aged mice whose genome had not been edited were cleansed of aging cells twice a week. This time, these researchers managed to increase the average life expectancy of rodents by a quarter. When the mice got older, they lost less fat, the heart and kidneys were in good condition, and the development of cataracts decreased markedly. Moreover, all rodents have become more active. To double–check the results, the researchers tested a large number of mice of both sexes, with different genetic characteristics and dietary differences - and the results were always the same.
Will a cure for aging be created?
The main reason for the negative impact of aging on health is that aging cells secrete molecules that cause inflammation and enzymes that destroy connective tissue. In the course of the study, scientists isolated from 50 to 60 different molecules that these cells produce. Each of these molecules can cause significant damage to the tissues of the body. So, the accumulation of damage in DNA can potentially lead to cancer. The molecules that secrete aging cells encourage the immune system to cleanse the body of them. But with age, the immune system weakens, and aging cells accumulate. As a result, these molecules become not a solution, but a problem.
The fact that cleansing the body of old cells had a positive effect on the health of rodents is amazing and in some sense quite logical, given the weak immune system in old age. But will such a procedure be safe for a person? Most likely, any attempt to purify aging cells in humans will have serious side effects, as well as obvious benefits. Anyway, further research is needed. At this stage, scientists intend to use the results obtained in the treatment of diseases caused by aging cells and localized in certain parts of the body. But in any case, these are truly revolutionary results. It is possible that in the future there will be a drug that slows down the aging process.
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