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Scientists have found a way to reverse the aging process of cells

Company blog Pochtoy.com , Habr

Many people dream that during their lifetime they will find a way to stop aging. Now you can stop dreaming. Real life has surpassed science fiction. The researchers were able not only to stop, but also to reverse the aging process – by returning human cells back to their "young" state. However, so far only in the laboratory. Scientists expect that their discovery will soon allow the creation of drugs against natural tissue degeneration. And they indicate what foods we need to consume in order to achieve a similar effect in our body.

The main question is: why are we getting old

Aging can be considered as a progressive decrease in the quality of the human body. It is associated with most chronic diseases, including cancer, diabetes and dementia. There are a lot of reasons why our cells and tissues stop functioning. But recently, scientists believe that the main culprit is the accumulation of so-called "old" cells.

"Old cells" are damaged cells that not only do not work properly (for example, stop dividing), but also disrupt the functions of the cells around them. They exhibit a radically altered degenerative phenotype compared to their growing counterparts. The fewer aging cells inside you or the faster they are replaced with new ones, the younger you are physically.

The elimination of these old, poorly functioning cells in animals in 2011 showed a slowdown in the progression of diseases associated with aging. For example, it made it possible to avoid the development of cataracts in mice.

Scientists are still not sure exactly why we have more and more of these "old" cells as we grow up. Among the likely culprits are accidental DNA damage, the effects of inflammation in tissues and damage to protective molecules (telomeres) over time at the end of the chromosomes. Until the 70s, it was believed that each cell has a certain number of division cycles, after which it stops and dies, but then it was proved that this is not the case: a cell can "become obsolete" at any moment, with a certain chance depending on its environment.

One of the latest theories that has gained popularity is that the cause of cell aging is the loss of their ability to turn genes on and off at the right time and in the right place.

Genes and their messages

As we grow older, we lose the ability to control the work of our genes. Every cell in the body contains all the information necessary for the development of life: even from your saliva, in theory, you can grow your clone. But not all genes are "turned on" in different tissues and different situations. This allows the heart cells to differ from the liver or kidney cells, despite the fact that they all contain the same genes.

On the left is a normal cell, on the right is an old one

When a gene is activated by signals from inside or outside the cell, it sends out a molecular message (RNA). This message stores all the information necessary to create what this gene will do. Since 2008, we have known that 95% of our genes can send several different types of messages, depending on the needs of the cell. This is how the cell "informs" its tissue what it needs now for normal development. Each gene can be considered a "recipe" for what a cell wants to do: if it was born in a kitchen making chocolate pies, and all the shelves around are filled with only sugar and vanilla, this is its only way to ask the body to go to the store for new purchases. And if the recipes stop being sent, the cell gradually "loses weight" and ceases to perform its function.

The decision on what type of message a cell will give out at any given time is made by a group of about 300 proteins, which are now called "splice factors" ("connection factors"). Over time, the volume of such factors that are produced by the body decreases. As a result, there is an accumulation of "old" cells that are not able to turn on the genes they need and respond to changes in the environment.

Recent studies have shown that the levels of these important regulatory proteins decrease in blood samples of elderly people, as well as in isolated human aging cells of different tissue types.

How to restore "old" cells

Regulatory proteins and, accordingly, genes in "old" cells can be made to work again. The cell does not die, it simply loses the ability to properly perform its function. So, we need to "shake her up" and let her return to her tasks again. Recently, a way of returning our cells back to their "young" state was demonstrated Lorna Harris, Matt Whiteman and their team from the University of Exeter (you can read their work here for free).

In their report, the scientists explain how they tried to find ways to start back the release of "splicing factors". It turned out that if old cells are treated with a chemical containing a small amount of hydrogen sulfide (H ₂ S), the number of "splicing factors" grows, genes begin to turn on, and the cell resumes its normal work.

Earlier, in April of this year, a group of 12 scientists showed that H ₂ S reduces aging-related diseases in animals. But the substance is very toxic in large doses, and the researchers could not find a way to safely deliver it to the right part of the cell. Various modulators were tested – chemical compounds that could "float" to the cell, produce a chemical reaction with it, and give it hydrogen sulfide.

From a 2013 study, it was known that the hydrogen sulfide donor GYY4137 can help with atherosclerosis if given to mice. He slowly gives H ₂ S, mimicking the standard activity of a healthy organism. With its help, scientists were able to deliver the H ₂ S molecule directly to the mitochondria – the structure responsible for energy production in the cell.

Delivery of H ₂ S to a human cell by different methods, the result is in 24 hours (the blacker – the older the cell, that is, the fewer regulatory genes working in it).

For 24 hours, the cells were given 100 mcg/ml of Na-GYY4137 (several other variants of H ₂ S donors – AP39, AP123 and RT01 were also tested). Dr. Eva Latorre, who helped with the study, was amazed at the scale and speed of changes in cells:

"When I saw how many cells in the culture started to return to activity, I couldn't believe it. The old cells began to look like young ones."

Professor Harris says in the report: "Our study shows that if you influence old cells with molecules that restore the levels of fusion factors, these cells can again begin to show some features of youth. They start growing again, and their telomeres – the ends of chromosomes that shrink with age – become longer, as if they are on young cells. More research is now needed to establish the true potential for this kind of approach to address the degenerative effects of aging."

Harris and Whiteman hope that with the help of such molecular tools it will be possible to eliminate "old" cells in living people and return them to normal operation. They are not sure that this will radically extend the life span of a person (say, up to 150 years), but they say that it will definitely improve the quality of life of old people, allowing them to reduce the effects of chronic diseases, as well as reduce the chances of stroke, heart disease and cancer.

Fountain of Youth

From reading all these studies, I learned one important thing for myself. It turns out that it is very useful to eat garlic. It contains allicin (which is the cause of the characteristic pungent smell). And as a result of the reaction of allicin with erythrocytes, a small amount of hydrogen sulfide is formed. This helps to reduce the tension of blood vessels (in studies – up to 72%). Hydrogen sulfide in small doses protects the body from cardiovascular diseases and shows anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, vasodilating and cytoprotective properties. It also (ladies, close your eyes) plays a role in dilating the vessels of the penis, necessary for an erection. And now it has also been confirmed that under favorable conditions it can reverse the aging process of cells, restoring the normal functioning of their genes.

One of the leaders of the scientific group that investigated this effect, Dr. David Kraus, says: "The results of our work show that it is extremely useful to include garlic in your diet. In countries with a high consumption of garlic, in the Mediterranean and the Middle East, there is a low level of cardiovascular diseases."

The researchers also suggest using the level of hydrogen sulfide release by erythrocytes to standardize garlic-based dietary supplements.

After reading this, I will probably try to include garlic in my diet, even though I don't like it. Unfortunately, it will not work here to "hack" the system by swallowing whole teeth to avoid a nasty smell. Allicin appears in garlic only if it is cut or cracked: when cells are destroyed, a chemical reaction occurs, and it is synthesized from the precursor of alliin and the enzyme allicinase. A clove eaten whole does not have special medicinal properties, as does heat-treated garlic (yes, all the garlic that you ate in pilaf or borscht does not count). But the crust of bread rubbed with a clove is already starting to work with might and main.

Results of the resveratol study (the same team worked with him in 2017)

The use of garlic is not recommended for kidney diseases, cholelithiasis, stomach or intestinal ulcers, hepatitis and other liver diseases. The alternative, which was also tested earlier by Lorna Harris and Matt Whiteman, albeit with less effect, is resveratol analogues. This substance can be found in red wine, dark chocolate, the peel of red grapes and blueberries, cocoa and peanuts. The biological effects are not as strong as in allicin, but resveratol also definitely rejuvenates human cells – at least in vitro.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru