The Easter Island compound extends the life of the mouse

The Easter Island giant rocks were eroded, but they have existed for centuries. New research shows that a compound first discovered in the soil of this South Pacific island can also help us with the test of time.

On July 8 in the journal Nature, the University of Texas Medical Science Center in San Antonio and two other collaborative centers reported that the Easter Island compound - called 'rapamycin' by the island's Polynesia name. , Rapa Nui - prolonged the 'middle-aged' mice ' lifespan from 28 to 38%. For humans, this will be better than the years of increased life expectancy if cancer and cardiovascular disease are cured and prevented.

Rats given rapamycin at age equivalent to 60 years of age in humans.

The study is part of the National Aging Academy's Trial Program, which seeks compounds that can help people stay healthy and free from disease throughout their lives. The other two centers involved in the study are the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and the Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine.

The Texas study was led by researchers from two academies at the UT Medical Research Center: the Institute of Biotechnology (IBT) and Barshop Aging and Aging Research Institute.

Arlan G. Richardson, Ph.D., director of Barshop Academy, said: 'I have been involved in aging research for 35 years, and there are many' anti-aging 'measures that have been introduced during the study years save it but not succeed. I never thought that we could seek an anti-aging medicine for people in our lives, however, rapamycin represents a great potential. '

Multi-functional compound

Discovered in the 1970s, rapamycin is known for its anti-fungal effect, and is then used to prevent organ rejection in transplant patients. This compound is also used in stent tubes, implanted in patients during cardiac catheterization to keep coronary arteries open. It is also used in medical treatments for cancer.

New aging experiments found that adding rapamycin to the diets of old mice increased their lifespan. The results are the same in Texas, Michigan and Maine.

'We believe this is the first compelling evidence that the aging process can be slowed and life can be extended through use at a certain age,' said Dr. Randy Strong. , who directs the NIA-funded Center for Aging Prevention Research in San Antonio, said. He is a professor of pharmacology at the UT Health Science Center and a researcher at the South Texas Health Care System.

Z. Dave Sharp, Ph.D., director of the Biotechnology Institute and Professor and Head of the Department of Molecular Medicine, Center for Medical Sciences, said : 'These findings are interesting. with our understanding of the aging process'.

The Easter Island-shaped rocks have existed for centuries. New research shows that a compound first discovered in the soil of this South Pacific island can also help us with the test of time. (Photo: iStockphoto / Ivonne Wierink-vanWetten)

Molecular sugar

Aging researchers now acknowledge two lifespan methods in mammals: calorie restriction and genetic modification. Rapamycin also seems to disable the same molecular pathway as limiting diets or reducing growth factors.

This compound does this through a cellular protein called mTOR, which controls a lot of metabolism in metabolism and reacts to cell pressure.

A decade ago, Dr. Sharp proposed to colleagues that mTOR could participate in calorie restriction. Dr Richardson said: 'It seems like an inappropriate idea at the time.'

In 2004, a year after the NIA's Aging Prevention Program began, Dr. Sharp proposed another suggestion that rapamycin should be studied for its anti-aging effects. The proposal was approved, and testing centers in San Antonio and elsewhere began to include rapamycin in rats' diets. Male and female mice were bred from four different mouse lines to become similar to the genetic diversity and human susceptibility.

Dr. Strong soon realized a problem: Rapamycin was not stable enough in food or in the gastrointestinal tract to show in animal blood levels. He works with the San Antonio Southwest Research Institute to improve the biological effect of the compound through a process called 'microencapsulation '. This treated drug is stable in rats' diets and passes through the stomach to enter the intestine, from which it can be introduced into the bloodstream.

Older mice

The original plan was to start rats eating rapamycin at 4 months of age, but because of some delay due to development of the treatment, mice were not fed rapamycin until 20 months of age - equivalent to 60 years old. in humans. The team still decided to try rapamycin.

Dr. Richardson commented: 'I thought this worked because the mice were too old when the testing process began. Most reports indicate that calorie restriction is not effective when done on older animals. The fact that rapamycin increases life expectancy in fairly old mice is a complete surprise. '

Dr. Strong added: 'This study has identified a potential therapeutic goal for drug development to prevent age-related diseases while prolonging life expectancy. If rapamycin, or drugs like rapamycin, is as effective as the test, the ability to cut health costs for the United States and the world will be huge. '