Hydrogen sulfide compound: The key to longevity

Hydrogen sulphide, or H ₂ S, is a rotten egg-smelling compound that has been successfully used by researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center to get mice into reverse metabolic dormancy. This compound shows that they are able to significantly increase the life and heat resistance of C. elegans (or Caenorhaditis elegans).

In an effort to understand the mechanism by which hydrogen sulfide compound causes rats to hibernate. Researchers have turned to studying this small nematode because it has many biological characteristics like humans. For example, this worm has a central nervous system and is fertile. Worms are also the ideal species to study longevity because they only live for about 2 to 3 weeks.

The study was carried out by Dr. Mark Roth, a member of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center's basic science department and Dr. Dana Miller, a doctoral student at Dr. Roth's laboratory. .

The researchers were surprised to find that nematodes raised in a carefully controlled environment have low H ₂ S concentrations (50 parts per million in room air) without hibernation. . Instead, their metabolic and reproductive activities are maintained in their normal state, their lifespan is prolonged and they are more resistant to heat than worms that do not live in the lips. school is controlled.

C. elegans (Caenorhaditis elegans)
(Photo: Sciam.com)

Worms that are exposed to H ₂ S live 8 times longer than normal worms when they are brought from a room with a normal temperature (22 degrees Celsius or 70 degrees Fahrenheit) to a room with a higher temperature. (35 degrees C or 95 degrees F). Roth and his colleagues received the same results when carrying out another 15 experiments.

Dr. Roth said: 'Although the maximum lifespan of nematode worms is different in experiments, it is clear that its effect is very large. Overall, 77% of the worms that live in environments with H ₂ S live longer than the worms that live in normal environments. The average lifetime of live worms in the H ₂ S environment is 9.6 days greater than that of normal worms, with an average life expectancy of 70%. "

Most genes that affect longevity in the nematode have affected one of the following three metabolic mechanisms of the gene : genes that control insulin-signaling, genes that control cell division and genes that regulate those. effects of dietary restrictions.

Roth and his colleagues eliminated the effect of H ₂ S on each individual mechanism. Instead they think it works through another mechanism. They hypothesized that exposure to H ₂ S would gradually alter the activity of the SIR-2.1 gene. The SIR-2.1 gene is thought to affect the lifespan of many organisms including nematodes. Many previous experiments have shown that overexpressing this gene will increase the lifespan of C. elegans from 18 to 20%.

Roth said: 'Further research on the genetic mechanism that affects changes caused by H ₂ S in nematodes can help us understand the same mechanism in higher-level organisms, like humans'. For example, if you understand how H ₂ S acts on the physiological functions of animals that can lead to the production of drugs that can inhibit the development of age-related diseases in People like cancer, dementia and heart disease.

Dr. Roth's research was published in newspapers around the world in April 2005, when he was the first in the world to show that exposure to mice with small amounts of H ₂ S was can activate the mechanism of " hibernation on demand ", gradually reducing body temperature, respiration and oxygen demand. Dr. Roth hopes that in the future a similar technique could be used to ' extend the time ' for patients with severe illness. Those who do not have it can be seriously injured and die from anemia and lack of oxygen provided to internal organs and cells.

Dr. Roth hypothesized that H ₂ S, a compound that can be made normal in humans and animals, can help us regulate body temperature and metabolic activity . Molecularly, H ₂ S is like oxygen because it combines with many proteins. Therefore, H ₂ S competes and prevents the body from using oxygen to produce energy. This is a process of creating energy inside a cell and is called oxidation of inorganic phosphorus.

Dr. Roth and his colleagues suggest that inhibiting the inorganic phosphorus oxidation caused mice to stop metabolic activity and enter hibernation while waiting for a return to normal living conditions. . They then quickly restored the metabolic functions and activities to normal state without any long-term side effects.

The study was published in the online newspaper of the National Science Association of America.

Uyen Nhi