A drug used to treat high blood pressure and heart failure may be the key to increasing lifespan, according to a study from Osaka City University, published in the journal Biogerontology. Experimented on laboratory worms, metolazone would have activated a response to mitochondrial stress, thus making it possible to extend their life expectancy.
Metolazone enabled cell regeneration in worms
Researchers at Osaka University in Japan have found that a treatment used to treat high blood pressure and heart failure – metolazone – can activate a mitochondrial stress response in Caenorhabditis elegans roundworms, allowing thus extend their life expectancy. What arouse the hope of Dr. Kage-Nakadai, author of this study who declared: ” although aging is not a disease, medications could slow it down or prevent its negative health effects “.
To reach these conclusions, the researchers analyzed more than 3,000 drugs and tested them all on laboratory worms. The results made it possible to identify the activation of a mitochondrial response, which allows cell regeneration and therefore prevents their aging and thus increase the lifespan of the worms.
The worms lived 10 days longer
In a second part of the study, Dr. Kage-Nakadai and her team found that after administering the metolazone molecule to some worms, they survived 10 days longer than those that had not received any treatment. . Indeed, the worms that received the drug survived 35 days against 25 for those who had nothing. However, scientists have realized that for the drug to activate a mitochondrial response, it is necessary to have certain genetic variations. Indeed, the worms tested having an inactive atfs-1, ubl-5 or nkcc-1 gene had the same lifespan as the other worms, those untreated.
While the study only looked at laboratory worms, Dr. Kage-Nakadai was pleased with the results, stating “ worms always give us lots of leads ”Especially since this drug is already approved by the various medical authorities. This may be of interest if its beneficial effects are confirmed in future studies and research.
