March 7, 2022

expert reaction to study looking at physiological aging in mice

A study, published in Nature Ageing, looked at physiological aging in mice. 

Prof Neil Mabbott, Personal Chair in Immunopathology, the Roslin Institute & Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, said:

“This study in mice suggests cells might be able to be reprogrammed to prolong or improve healthy aging, rather than simply extending lifespan.

“Aging can cause long-term effects to the DNA in our cells known as “epigenetic” changes.  The level of these changes can be used to determine the epigenetic age of our cells.  Some of these changes to our DNA are considered to contribute to the adverse effects of aging on our bodies.  Finding new ways to stop or even reverse these changes might identify new ways to prolong healthy aging, or treat certain aging related diseases.  What the authors showed was that their treatment was able to reduce the effects aging on these epigenetic changes to the DNA of elderly mice, in effect, rewinding their epigenetic clocks.  This also coincided with improvements in tissue integrity in the skin and other tissues.  Interestingly these effects were more effective in female mice than males.  The authors showed that cells can be reprogrammed in such a way to prolong healthy aging, or treat certain aging related diseases.  Whether similar effects would be observed in humans cells and whether this would prolong lifespan remains to be determined.”

‘In vivo partial reprogramming alters age-associated molecular changes during physiological aging in mice’ by Kristen C. Browder et al. was published in Nature Aging on Monday 7 March 2022.

DOI: 10.1038/s43587-022-00183-2

https://www.nature.com/articles/s43587-022-00183-2

Declared interests

None received.