Researchers successfully switch off aging protein
A specific protein that the body produces in larger amounts after the age of 55 is responsible for many age-related diseases in humans. A study shows that its inhibition increases the lifespan of mice by nearly a quarter.
The search for a substance that slows down the aging process has been a red thread throughout human history. A new study offers hope: Scientists from the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Medical Sciences and Imperial College London have discovered that inhibiting a protein named Interleukin 11 (IL-11) can extend the lifespan of mice by nearly a quarter.
The researchers tested the effects of an IL-11 blocker by removing the gene that produces IL-11 in mice before birth. The lifespan of these mice increased by over 20 percent on average. Other mice were treated with a substance that suppresses the effects of IL-11 in the body at the age of 75 weeks, which corresponds to approximately 55 years in humans.
The results published in the journal "Nature" were dramatic: In mice treated with the inhibitor in old age, the median lifespan increased between 22 and 25 percent. These mice lived on average nearly three years, compared to barely two and a half years in untreated mice.
Few side effects observed
The treatment significantly reduced cancer-related deaths in the animals and decreased many diseases caused by fibrosis, chronic inflammation, and poor metabolism, all of which are signs of aging. Side effects were observed only in a few cases.
"These results are very exciting," said Stuart Cook from the Laboratory of Medical Sciences in London and a co-author of the study in a press release. "The treated mice had fewer cancers and were free of the usual signs of aging and frailty." The researchers also observed a reduction in muscle loss and an improvement in muscle strength. "In other words, the old mice that received Anti-IL-11 were healthier," said Cook.
The researchers have been following the protein IL-11 for many years and were able to demonstrate its harmful effects in 2018. Previously, it was believed that the protein was an evolutionary relic in humans and largely unnecessary. The human body increases the production of IL-11 after the age of 55. Recent research has linked the protein to many age-related conditions such as metabolic disorders, muscle wasting, and frailty.
"Promising possibility"
The authors of the study see their latest findings as an approach for a possible anti-aging medicine in humans: "Although these results were obtained in mice, there is a promising possibility that the medications could have a similar effect in older humans," said Cook. Anti-IL-11 treatments are currently being tested in clinical studies in humans for other diseases, which would allow the effect on aging humans to be investigated.
Meanwhile, several other substances are being considered as potential anti-aging agents, such as the diabetes medication Metformin and the substance Rapamycin. Considered as potential wonder drugs are also a targeted extension of telomeres, the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes, and Spermidine, which occurs naturally in many foods, as well as Taurine.
The researchers of the current IL-11 study warn that the results were only obtained in mice. The safety and effectiveness of a treatment in humans must be further investigated in clinical studies before considering using Anti-IL-11 medicines for life extension.
The pursuit of alternatives to animal experiments in the search for anti-aging agents is gaining momentum. The inhibition of IL-11, a protein linked to age-related diseases in humans, could be a potential avenue for alternative research.
Furthermore, while the study's findings show promising results in extending the lifespan of mice, the safety and efficacy of an Anti-IL-11 treatment in humans require further investigation through clinical studies, moving away from reliance on animal experiments.
