Unexpected side effect
Skin cancer drug has extended the life of flies by 12%
The drug trametinib, used to destroy melanoma tumors, extended the life of fruit flies by 12% due to its effect on the genes responsible for the rate of metabolism and aging, biologists say in an article published in the journal Cell (Slack et al., The Ras-Erk-ETS-Signaling Pathway Is a Drug Target for Longevity, in the public domain).
"You should not buy trametanib and start taking it regularly today. Such a step is madness for any person. We do not yet know all of its long–term side effects and properties," said Linda Partridge from University College London (in a press release, Cancer drug makes fruit flies live longer - VM).
Partridge and her colleagues came to this conclusion by studying the effect of this drug on a family of RAS genes that control the transmission of various types of chemical signals inside the cell. Incorrect "inclusion" of these DNA sites often leads to the development of cancer – about a fifth of all types of cancer cells contain mutations in RAS.
In addition, as experiments on yeast have shown, removing or disabling these genes causes the cell to age more slowly, which in principle can be used to slow down the decrepitude of the human or animal body. Partridge's group checked whether this was actually the case by tracking the life expectancy of several populations of fruit flies that took trametinib – a blocker of RAS gene activity – at different stages of life.
As this experiment showed, "turning off" these DNA sections really prolongs life – up to 12% for individuals who have taken trametinib since birth, and slightly less significant values for those groups of flies who started taking the drug already in adulthood.
A picture from an article in Cell – VM.
In the near future, Partridge and her colleagues will continue to study the effect of trametinib on mouse cell cultures, after which they will proceed to experiments on live rodents. Until these experiments are carried out, scientists urge "enthusiasts" and practicing physicians to refuse to test the effect of this substance on themselves, since RAS proteins are present in all cells of our body and can play a central role in its normal operation.
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26.06.2015