The discovery explains why we age at all
Scientists are already testing a cure for aging: here's how it works
Japanese scientists are testing a cure for aging.Moreover, this is not a tool that should be taken from youth in order to postpone decrepitude, but more interesting - should work for already elderly people.
As you know, in the course of life, errors accumulate in the cells of any organism, they stop dividing and trigger systemic inflammation of the body. It has been suggested that, if senescent cells are removed (a process called senolysis), then the inflammation will stop, and some of the damage can be played back.
In a reputable journal Science published a scientific article by a group of scientists from the University of Tokyo, who tested this hypothesis in mice.
What is the essence of research
Senescent cells need both glutaminase C (GAS) and glutaminase B (GAB) enzymes (the GLS1 and GLS2 genes encoding these enzymes). The speech in this article is about glutaminase, and scientists did not divide it into varieties.
So, glutaminase allows you to maintain inside the cell correct balance of acidityand. In ordinary cells, lysosomes cope with this, which utilize unnecessary proteins and neutralize the acidic environment. But after a certain number of cell divisions, this mechanism is disrupted, and here glutaminase is needed in greater quantities. Its presence is always necessary, but the need increases under the influence of various factors, including with age or under conditions of illness.
Scientists have suggested that if you take an inhibitor that suppresses glutaminase, then senescent cells will dieand stop accumulating in the body. As such an inhibitor, an agent for the treatment of certain types of cancer has been used, the cells of which also depend on glutaminase.
How does the drug work?
As a result, the condition of the liver, kidneys and lungs significantly improved in old mice, which underwent therapy, and their blood counts improved.
One of the scientists who conducted this experiment, professor at the University of Tokyo Makoto Nakanishi, told the media that there was a dramatic improvement in the symptoms of diabetes and atherosclerosis.
In addition, muscle strength increased in mice: if a young rodent, on average, can hold on perch 200 seconds, and the old one only 30 seconds, then after therapy the old one clung to the stick as much as 100 seconds.
What's next?
Now this drug is already being tested, its effectiveness and side effects are being studied. If everything goes well then in 5-10 years the first patients will be able to receive it - people with progeria, premature aging syndrome.
On my own I want to add this the discovery confirms the oxidative theory: aging is closely related to inflammation and the activation of oxidative stress. Glutaminase is not one enzyme that helps neutralize harmful substances. A lot of them. But this is one of the key enzymes.
It will not be possible to completely defeat aging with this medicine, but it can significantly improve the condition of people with oncological and other metabolic pathologies.
Your Doctor Pavlova
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