By injecting a vitamin, nicotinamide riboside, into elderly mice, Swiss researchers have succeeded in regenerating their organs and extending their life expectancy.
Will science succeed in concocting an elixir of youth? According to the work of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), research is progressing rapidly. By injecting a vitamin, nicotinamide riboside, into elderly mice, researchers were able to reactivate the regeneration of their organs and prolong their life. A method that opens the way to a new therapeutic class for treating degenerative diseases. They publish their astonishing discovery in the prestigious magazine Science.
As they age, all mammals – from mice to humans – see their organism decline. Aging organs function less well. They lose their ability to repair themselves after being injured. In question: stem cells out of breath.
Indeed, all the organs of the body have a “stock” of adult stem cells capable of generating specific cells to repair a failing organ. However, “we have shown that stem cell fatigue was one of the main causes leading to poor regeneration, or even degeneration of certain tissues or organs,” explains Hongbo Zhang, the main author of this work.
Hope for treatment
The researchers then speculated that by rejuvenating stem cells, they could slow down the aging process. Among the molecules of interest, the scientists chose a vitamin, nicotinamide riboside (NR), known to play a role in metabolism. “We gave nicotinamide riboside to 2-year-old mice, in the fall of their life,” continues Hongbo Zhang. […] Our results are extremely promising: muscle regeneration is much better in mice that received NR, and they live longer than those that did not. “
Parallel studies have also shown a comparable effect in brain or skin stem cells grown in the laboratory. “This work provides very interesting perspectives in the field of regenerative medicine,” says Johan Auwerx, who heads the Integrative Physiology Laboratory at EPFL (LISP). We are not talking here of introducing foreign bodies into the body, but of re-teaching it to repair itself, with a product that just needs to be ingested with its meal. “
Nicotinamide riboside could also be used in the treatment of muscular dystrophies which are characterized by progressive degeneration of the muscles. If no harmful side effects have been observed during its use, even at high doses, the researchers point out that nicotinamide riboside seems to act on all cells. They could therefore stimulate the functioning of pathological cells, such as cancer cells. It is for this reason that additional work should be carried out before considering taking this vitamin as a makeover.
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