HONG KONG - Scientists in Hong Kong appear to have mapped out a formula that can
delay the ageing process in mice, a discovery they hope to replicate in people.
Their finding, published in the December
issue of Cell Metabolism, builds on their work in 2005 which shed light on
premature ageing, or progeria, a rare genetic disease that affects one in four
million babies.
Progeria is obvious in the appearance of a
child before it is a year old. Although their mental faculties are normal, they
stop growing, lose body fat and suffer from wrinkled skin and hair loss. Like
old people, they suffer stiff joints and a buildup of plaque in arteries which
can lead to heart disease and stroke. Most die before they are 20 years old.
In that research, the team at the University
of Hong Kong found that a mutation in the Lamin A protein, which lines the
nucleus in human cells, disrupted the repair process in cells, thus resulting
in accelerated aging.
Conversely, in their latest work using both
mice and experiments in petri dishes, they found that normal and healthy Lamin
A binds to and activates the gene SIRT1, which experts have long associated
with longevity.
"We can develop drugs that mimic Lamin A
or increase the binding between Lamin A and SIRT1," Liu Baohua, research
assistant professor of biochemistry at the University of Hong Kong, told a news
conference on Thursday.
The team went further to see if the binding
efficiency between Lamin A and SIRTI would be boosted with resveratrol, a
compound found in the skin of red grapes and other fruits which has been touted
by some scientists and companies as a way to slow aging or remain healthy as
people get older.
Associate professor Zhou Zhongjun, who led
the study, said healthy mice fed with concentrated resveratrol fared
significantly better than healthy mice not given the compound.
"We actually delayed the onset of ageing
and extended the healthy lifespan," Zhou said of the mice.
Mice with progeria lived 30 per cent longer
when fed with resveratrol compared with progerial mice not given the compound.
Asked if their study supported the notion
that drinking red wine delays ageing and reduces the risk of heart disease,
Zhou said the alcohol content in wine would cause harm before any benefit could
be derived.
"The amount of resveratrol in red wine
is very low and it may not be beneficial. But the alcohol will cause damage to
the body," Zhou said.
Reuters
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