A major study by scientists in China is to change our way of thinking about aging. The long -term belief that aging is a one -way way may no longer hold. This new catch comes from a team at Chinese Academy of Sciences (Case)Offering new overviews on how aging might not be as fixed as in thought.
Their work focuses on metformin, a drug widely used for type 2 diabetes. Although common, this drug can keep an unusual promise: the ability to slow the aging process itself. Researchers think it could possibly lead to treatments that help people live healthier and longer lives.
The study brought together leading experts in the field. Liu Guanghui and Jing, both of the Institute of Zoology, joined forces with Zhang Weiqi of the Beijing Genomics Institute.
Their results appeared in Cell00914-0), a high-level scientific review. The work reflects an increasing wave of curiosity concerning the extension not only the lifespan, but also Healthspan.
To test metformineThe effect on aging, the team studied the monkeys of Cynomolgus – animals with a bit like ours. Their narrow genetic and physiological links with humans make them ideal to explore the functioning of anti-aging treatments. This choice gave the study a real weight in the context of human health.
Over a period of 40 months, scientists followed the health of the monkeys using a battery of advanced tools. These included medical imaging, blood tests, physiological controls and deep tissue analysis on several organs. Male monkeys have regularly received metformin, allowing researchers to observe any long -term change.
The results were striking. Metformin has provided clear protective effects on several vital organs. The liver, the heart, the lungs and the muscles have all shown slower signs of aging. These results suggest that this drug familiar on diabetes can do much more than controlling blood sugar – it could help protect the body from age itself.
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In particular, he has attenuated the atrophy of cerebral cortexImproved cognitive function and slows down the periodontal bone loss. This suggests that metformin can act directly on neurons and other cells, regardless of its usual function in the regulation of blood sugar.
The study has identified that active metformin the network of antioxidant gene expression mediated by NRF2 in the brain, delaying the effects of cellular aging. This mechanism provides a solid scientific basis for the geroprotective properties of metformin and could open the way for future therapeutic progress aimed at slowing aging.
In addition to its direct impact on neurons, researchers have used automatic learning models to assess the global systemic effects of metformin on aging. These models helped them build a complete tissue and Organ agingallowing precise evaluations of the advantages of the drug.
The results indicated a significant reduction in organic age markers in primates treated with metformin. The age of DNA methylation, the age of transcriptoma and the age of plasma proteins and metabolites have all been reduced. The most substantial reduction observed was equivalent to 18 human years, a striking observation which highlights the potential of metformin in the delay of organic aging.
The effects of metformin were the most pronounced in the frontal lobe of the brain and the liver, two areas particularly vulnerable to aging. High precision aging clocks at the unique level have shown that the biological age of the neural brain cells And hepatocytes in the liver have been reduced by about five to six years.
When translated by humans, this is equivalent to about 15 to 18 years. The in -depth and methodical approach to the study offers new paradigms and standards to assess human aging interventions.
As the researchers have pointed out, the implications of the study are deep. “This is a significant front step in understanding the biology of aging,” said one of the main scientists.
It also highlights the change in geriatric medicine for the treatment of the individual chronic conditions To approach the aging process as a whole. This transition represents a new border in health care, that which targets the deep causes of aging to improve global health and longevity.
While human life expectancy continues to increase, the emphasis on diseases related to aging, such as Alzheimer’s disease and cardiovascular conditions, has developed. However, this study demonstrates the possibility of targeting the aging process itself, rather than simply dealing with its consequences.
Metformin showing such potential, future research could lead to broader applications for humans, perhaps helping to reduce age-related decline and improve quality of life in the elderly.
This research opens up new doors to understanding and potentially reversing the aspects of aging. Using metformin, scientists have not only widened knowledge of cell aging, but also laid the foundations for future therapies aimed at delaying aging process.
This represents a major jump forward in the field of geriatric medicine, signaling a future where aging may not be an inevitable decline, but a process that can be managed and perhaps even inverted.
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