Yamanaka factors are a group of compounds that scientists have used to rejuvenate aged cells, induce muscle regeneration, and treat glaucoma, among other things.
A new study from the Salk Institute has demonstrated how these molecules may reverse indications of ageing in middle-aged and old animals, with no evidence of health issues after lengthy therapy.
The Yamanaka factors, which are at the heart of this research, are a group of four reprogramming molecules that can reset the molecular clock inthe body’s cells.
They accomplish so by restoring the original states of distinct chemical patterns known as epigenetic markers, which develop with age.
Adult cells have been converted back into stem cells in this method, developing into numerous cell types.
The Salk Institute has already employed the technique to reverse indications of ageing in animals with a premature ageing condition and enhance the function of heart and brain components.
Last year, scientists at Stanford University utilized the approach to give aged animals the physical strength of younger mice.
The goal of the current study was to see how the technique affected healthy animals as they reached the end of their lives, not just to see whether it provided anti-ageing advantages but alsoto see if it had any negative health consequences.
The Yamanaka factors were injected into middle-aged mice aged 15 to 22 months (similar to 50 to 70 years in humans). Another group was treated from 12 to 22 months (35 to 70 years in humans).
Another group received the molecules for only one month, at 25 months, equivalent to 80 years in human terms.
“What we wanted to prove was that employing this strategy over a longer period is safe,” said Pradeep Reddy, a Salk staff scientist and co-first author of the new research. “We found no detrimental consequences on these animals’ health, behaviour, or body weight.”
Not only did the mice show no neurological or blood cell alterations, nor did they show any evidence of cancer, but they also resembled more young animals in many aspects. The kidneys and skin identified epigenetic patterns similar to those seen in younger mice, and skin cells could proliferate and limit scarring following damage.
This skill generally diminishes with age. In the meantime, metabolic components in the blood did not display the expected age-related alterations.
These effects were detected in mice treated for seven and ten months but not in the elderly animals who were only treated for one month. The researchers also looked at the mice half way through the therapy.
They discovered that these advantages had failed to fully manifest, leading them to infer that “treatment length controlled the magnitude of the favourable effects.”
“We are ecstatic that we can apply this strategy to reduce ageing in normal animals over the lifespan,” says the team “Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte, a co-corresponding author, said: “In mice, the procedure is both safe and successful.
This method may give the scientific community with a new tool to restore tissue and organismal health; by enhancing cell function and resilience in diverse illness circumstances, such as neurodegenerative disorders, in addition to combating age-related diseases.”
The scientists want to examine the effects of Yamanaka factors on individual molecules and genes and create new delivery methods.
They also want to see how long the therapy’s benefits last. “At the end of the day,” Reddy explained, “we want to restore resilience and function to older cells so that they are more resistant tostress, damage, and illness.” “This research suggests that, at least in mice, there is a way to get there.”
The research was published in the journal Nature Aging.
