By increasing the concentration of the NAD molecule, scientists have succeeded in rejuvenating the muscles of a 2-year-old mouse.
No more botox and cosmetic surgery, scientists may have found one of the keys to rejuvenation. The name of this fountain of youth present in all of us: nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). The concentration of this enzyme in the mitochondria of cells decreases with age and accelerates the aging process.
In order to better understand the effects of NAD, the researchers treated a two-year-old mouse, increasing its concentration. And this treatment had a dramatic effect, they report in the review Cell. In one week, the muscles of the “old” mouse became again those of a six-month-old mouse, at several levels: mitochondrial function, resistance to insulin and inflammation … The muscle is became strong and resistant again. Very confident, the researchers specify that tests on human beings could begin within a year.
While this very impressive discovery does not completely reverse the effects of aging, it is a major step in understanding how aging works. According to the researchers, this discovery would make it possible to consider treatments for diseases related to age, inflammatory diseases and even cancer. “We believe this would allow people to live healthier lives longer and avoid age-related illnesses,” said Professor David Sinclair, lead author of the study.
In any case, this is not the first time that scientists have been interested in how aging works, or that they are making mice younger. In 2010, a Harvard University study highlighted the role of telomerase, an enzyme that preserves telomeres, the end of chromosomes, during cell division. Over time, these telomeres wear out, shorten, which leads to impaired regeneration of our organs, and therefore to aging. As with the NAD molecule, increasing the concentration of telomerase in mice slows down or even reverses the aging of guinea pigs.
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