Scientists have discovered that the perception of odors of harmful substances can have an impact on longevity and life expectancy in roundworms, called nematodes.
- Nematodes exposed to an odorous compound secreted by pathogenic bacteria have a longer lifespan.
- Smell activates a neural circuit to protect against harmful substances.
- Activation of this circuit helps increase life expectancy.
What if smell and life expectancy were linked? VSThis is what a new study on roundworms called nematodes, published in the journal Nature Aging. Scientists have shown that invertebrates who were exposed to an odorous compound secreted by pathogenic bacteria – Pseudomonas aeruginosa And Staphylococcus aureus -, had a longer lifespan.
Faced with the smell of harmful substances, the body protects itself
During their experiments, the scientists placed the nematodes on plates different from those containing the harmful substances to demonstrate that it was not direct contact between the worms and the odorous molecules secreted by pathogenic bacteria, which caused the body’s reactions, but their smell.
Result: the test is indeed conclusive. Nematodes exposed to the odorous substance secreted by different pathogenic bacteria – backed away and physically avoided it, to protect themselves. This means that instinctively they perceived the danger. Moreover, a neural circuit induced a response in other tissues of the worm.
Life expectancy: a link between smell and longevity
Another discovery: the nematodes exposed to the odorant molecule lived longer compared to those who had had no contact with it. The researchers determined that thehe link between a bad smell and life expectancy comes from the activation of the neural circuit responsible for avoiding harmful substances. In other words, it helps to increase life expectancy.
Scientists have observed that the body’s response also includes more efficient processing of toxic proteins and control of their aggregation. However, the accumulation of these proteins is known as a biological phenomenon at the origin of neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s, Huntington’s and Alzheimer’s in humans.
“They [les nématodes] can detect danger in the environment through smell and react to pathogenic bacteria even before locating them, explains Evandro Araújo de Souza, main author of the study, in a communicated. The odor also prevents the aggregation of proteins involved in the disease, potentially extending their lifespan.”
Nematode cells and genes have many similarities and functions similar to those of humans. “These results suggest that manipulating perceptions of chemicals could one day be an avenue of intervention against neurodegenerative and age-related diseases, says Rebecca Taylor, who participated in the study. However, further research is needed to determine whether pathways and mechanisms (…) also function in humans.”
