Scientists, at the University of Exeter University, have developed a novel compound which, they claim, may reverse ageing in human cells and may lead to ‘anti-degenerative’ drugs.
According to a report, published in August 2018, researchers, at the University of Exeter, in the UK, conducted a laboratory test on endothelial cells, which line the inside of blood vessels. These cells were tested by compounds designed to target mitochondria, the ‘power stations’ of cells. In the samples used, the number of senescent cells (older cells that have deteriorated and stopped dividing) was reduced by up to 50 per cent. The compounds developed at Exeter have the potential to tweak the mechanisms by which ageing of cells happens. The researchers tested three different compounds, and found that each produced a 40-50 per cent drop in the number of ageing blood vessel cells. In the samples used, the number of senescent cells (older cells that have deteriorated and stopped dividing) was reduced by up to 50 per cent. The compounds—AP39, AP123 and RT01—have been designed to selectively deliver minute quantities of hydrogen sulphide gas to the mitochondria in cells and help the old or damaged cells to generate the ‘energy’ needed for survival.
The Exeter team also identified two splicing factors (a component of cells) SRSFZ and HNRNPD—that play a key role in when and how endothelial cells become senescent. Each human gene is capable of making more than one product, and splicing factors are the genes that make the decision about which of these products are to be made.
This new research looked precisely at targeting and rejuvenating mitochondria in old cells. Many disease states can essentially be viewed as accelerated ageing, and keeping mitochondria healthy may help reverse this. Thus, these findings raise the possibility of future treatments not only for blood vessels which become stiffer as they age, raising the risk of problems including heart attacks and strokes, but also for other cells. This may well be the basis for a new generation of anti-degenerative drugs.