An enzyme in blood of young mice extends life span
New research has identified a novel approach to staving off the detrimental effects of aging, according to a study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
The study suggests that a protein that is abundant in the blood of young mice plays a vital role in keeping mice healthy. With age, levels of this protein decline in mice and people, while health problems such as insulin resistance, weight gain, cognitive decline and vision loss increase. Supplementing older mice with the protein obtained from younger mice appears to slow this decline in health and extend the life spans of older mice by about 16 percent.
The study is published June 13 in the journal Cell Metabolism.
The circulating protein is an enzyme called eNAMPT, which is known to orchestrate a key step in the process cells use to make energy. With age, the body’s cells become less and less efficient at producing this fuel — called NAD — which is required to keep the body healthy. Washington University researchers have shown that supplementing eNAMPT in older mice with that of younger mice appears to be one route to boosting NAD fuel production and keeping aging at bay.
“We have found a totally new pathway toward healthy aging,” said senior author Shin-ichiro Imai, MD, PhD, a professor of developmental biology. “That we can take eNAMPT from the blood of young mice and give it to older mice and see that the older mice show marked improvements in health — including increased physical activity and better sleep — is remarkable.”
Imai has long studied aging, using mice as stand-ins for people. Unlike other studies focused on transfusing whole blood from young mice to old mice, Imai’s group increased levels of a single blood component, eNAMPT, and showed its far-reaching effects, including improved insulin production, sleep quality, function of photoreceptors in the eye, and cognitive function in performance on memory tests, as well as increased running on a wheel. Imai’s group also has shown other ways to boost NAD levels in tissues throughout the body. Most notably, the researchers have studied the effects of giving oral doses of a molecule called NMN, the chemical eNAMPT produces. NMN is being tested in human clinical trials.
“We think the body has so many redundant systems to maintain proper NAD levels because it is so important,” Imai said. “Our work and others’ suggest it governs how long we live and how healthy we remain as we age. Since we know that NAD inevitably declines with age, whether in worms, fruit flies, mice or people, many researchers are interested in finding anti-aging interventions that might maintain NAD levels as we get older.”
Imai’s research has shown that the hypothalamus is a major control center for aging throughout the body, and it is directed in large part by eNAMPT, which is released into the blood from fat tissue. The hypothalamus governs vital processes such as body temperature, thirst, sleep, circadian rhythms and hormone levels. The researchers have shown that the hypothalamus manufactures NAD using eNAMPT that makes its way to the brain through the bloodstream after being released from fat tissue. They also showed that this eNAMPT is carried in small particles called extracellular vesicles. As levels of eNAMPT in the blood decline, the hypothalamus loses its ability to function properly, decreasing life span.
In an intriguing finding, Imai and first author Mitsukuni Yoshida, a doctoral student in Imai’s lab, showed that levels of eNAMPT in the blood were highly correlated with the number of days the mice lived. More eNAMPT meant a longer life span, and less meant a shorter one.
The researchers also showed increased life span with delivering eNAMPT to normal old mice. All mice that received saline solution as a control had died before day 881, about 2.4 years. Of the mice that received eNAMPT, one is still alive as of this writing, surpassing 1,029 days, or about 2.8 years.
“We could predict, with surprising accuracy, how long mice would live based on their levels of circulating eNAMPT,” Imai said. “We don’t know yet if this association is present in people, but it does suggest that eNAMPT levels should be studied further to see if it could be used as a potential biomarker of aging.”
The study also found sex differences in levels of eNAMPT, with female mice consistently showing higher levels of the enzyme.
“We were surprised by the dramatic differences between the old mice that received the eNAMPT of young mice and old mice that received saline as a control,” Imai said. “These are old mice with no special genetic modifications, and when supplemented with eNAMPT, their wheel-running behaviors, sleep patterns and physical appearance — thicker, shinier fur, for example — resemble that of young mice.”
Learn more: Aging delayed in older mice given blood component from young mice
The Latest on: Aging delayed
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Aging delayed” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Aging delayed
- Boxer deployment delay highlights aging fleet, lack of repair capacityon May 2, 2024 at 9:59 am
Boxer left San Diego, California, for deployment on April 1. It was already behind schedule, as fellow ship Somerset left the city in January. Somerset was the lone member of the Boxer Amphibious ...
- Could menopause be delayed? The answer could lead to longer lifespans for womenon May 2, 2024 at 8:23 am
Scientists are learning that ovaries aren't just important for making babies—they also keep the heart, brain, and bones healthy.
- Manor Lords Publisher's Kingdom Sim Norland Delayed to Summeron May 2, 2024 at 7:06 am
Norland, a medieval kingdom sim being published by the Manor Lords folks, has been delayed until summer so the devs can add more features.
- Manor Lords publisher’s new strategy game delayed as wishlists surgeon May 2, 2024 at 7:00 am
Developer Long Jaunt delays the release of medieval colony sim Norland to include more features, as it hits a big Steam wishlist milestone.
- Senior care organizations raise concerns about Pathways for Aging program – future unclearon May 1, 2024 at 9:52 am
While Area Agencies on Aging can enter into individual contracts with the companies, many can’t afford the lower rate because it isn't enough to cover the cost of the work.
- Does reproduction influence epigenetic aging in younger women?on April 24, 2024 at 5:00 pm
A better understanding would help make informed reproductive decisions and delay the effects of aging. It is important to conduct longitudinal studies because it helps understand the association ...
- Do preteens really need anti-aging creams? How desire to remain forever young takes tollon April 24, 2024 at 7:50 am
My granddaughter is not an outlier. The news media have reported how skincare experts are warning parents that preteens are buying anti-aging treatments they don’t need and that may actually be ...
- The 11 Best Anti-Aging Serums for Firmer, Brighter Skin, According to Real Womenon April 24, 2024 at 4:15 am
We tested 26 of the best anti-aging serums over eight weeks and found 11 that really work from Clinique, L’Oréal Paris, La Roche Posay, and more. Read on to see how these serums target the most common ...
- Experimental Ovarian Tissue Freezing Could Delay Menopause, but Experts Are Weighing the Riskson April 22, 2024 at 5:00 am
Extracting, freezing and retransplanting slices of hormone-producing ovarian tissue could postpone menopause, but some experts say it’s not effective enough—or necessary ...
- A cheap drug may slow down aging. A study will determine if it workson April 21, 2024 at 10:14 pm
And it's possible that drugs like metformin could slow this process down. By targeting the biology of aging, the hope is to prevent or delay multiple diseases, says Dr. Nir Barzilai of Albert Einstein ...
via Bing News