A study published on Wednesday showed that an anti-aging therapy tested on mice erases “the signs of the passage of time by reprogramming cells” and claims that it rejuvenated them without causing tumors or other health problems.
The procedure was carried out by the Salk Institute of California in collaboration with the Genetech company of the Roche group and administered to mice from middle age to old age, reported the ANSA news agency, which took an article published in the journal Nature Aging.
He also specified that the researchers used a cocktail of four molecules (Oct4, Sox2, Klf4 and cMyc, better known as “Yamanaka factors”), who state that they are capable of reprogramming the epigenetics of cells, or the chemical modifications (inherited or acquired as a result of the environment or lifestyle) that cover the DNA, regulating its expression.
The researchers administered the cocktail of molecules to healthy mice aged 15 to 22 months (the equivalent of therapy taken between ages 50 and 70 in humans) and to mice aged 12 to 22 months (35 to 70 years), while that a third group of 25-month-old mice (equal to 80 years) was treated for one month.
As a result, it was shown that no mice showed blood cell abnormalities, neurological abnormalities, or tumors and detailed that “older mice treated for one month showed no signs of rejuvenation, while mice treated for seven or ten months improved, both in the epigenetics of skin and kidney cells, and in the ‘spy’ molecules of metabolism present in the blood.
Meanwhile, they indicated that the effects are not noticeable in the middle of the treatment period, but only at the end, which could indicate that Yamanaka factors can stop aging and, in addition, can make it regress.
“We are delighted to be able to use this approach for life to delay aging in animals: the technique is safe and effective in mice,” said Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte of the Salk Institute.
He added that “in addition to addressing age-related diseases, this approach may provide the biomedical community with a new tool to restore the health of tissues and organisms by improving cell function and resilience in various pathological situations, such as neurodegenerative diseases”.
In 2016, experiments were carried out with the same “cocktail” in mice suffering from premature aging, and more recently they had shown that the mixture is capable of accelerating the regeneration of muscles in young micethey detailed.
Based on these experiments, other research groups had tried the same approach to improve the function of tissues and organs such as the heart, brain, and optic nerve, but no one had attempted to prove its efficacy and safety over long-term use. long of life.
