08 May WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE FOREVER YOUNG? A MOLECULE THAT REDUCES THE SIGNS OF AGING HAS BEEN DISCOVERED
One of the biggest questions of the 21st century definitely is: Is it possible to slow down ageing? It is well known that certain lifestyle habits such as physical activity and healthy eating “erase wrinkles from the face”, but science has recently gone a step further.
Scientists have found a drug which “repaired” and “annulled” the signs of ageing in mice
Ageing is a process which is characterized by disturbed balance of cellular functions and molecular biological changes. During ageing, cells accumulate DNA damage, which, after a certain limit, can not be repaired. After that, the cells may be converted to cancer cells, they can enter in the process of programmed cell death or apoptosis, or in the process of senescence. Recent research has shown that senescent cells play an important role in ageing. The number of senescent cells during ageing increases, and thus the amount of substances that they secrete, which as toxins act on neighboring cells, causes inflammation. It was found that these cells are more numerous in the joints of people suffering from arthritis, in veins, cataracts, as well as that accumulation of these cells causes a number of degenerative diseases, heart disease, diabetes and similar diseases associated with ageing.
Recent research has shown that the removal of senescent cells from the body can cancel certain consequences of ageing, and there is a possibility that the same method can slow down or even suspend ageing. Scientists believe they are on the trace of a new drug that can “erase” the signs of ageing. Old mice were injected with molecule which selectively removes only the cells, that are due to DNA damage, in the senescent state. The result of such treatment was a recovery of fur and repair of renal function, and mice were able to run two times more than the untreated mice.
A team of scientists is planning similar studies in humans, with aim to detect whether the removal of senescent cells can help in the treatment of various diseases associated with ageing in humans.
Source: http://bit.ly/2nceqOE