A new study reveals that targeting small amounts of hydrogen sulfide gas to certain cell areas among adult worms with the use of molecule AP39 improved activity and health as these creatures aged.
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Hydrogen Sulfide for Healthy Aging
The study posits that there could be future treatments that aid people with living healthy lives longer. These could surface from drugs that release tiny amounts of hydrogen sulfide gas (H2S).
The researchers found that targeting small H2S amounts to certain cellular areas of adult worms with the use of a molecule known as AP39, which releases H2S, boosting activity and health as these worms age. Overall, the findings conclude that specifically aiming H2S to the cells' mitochondria could one day serve as a therapeutic means for healthy aging.
The AP39 molecule was administered to some worms from their birth, while others received it as they reached adulthood. The researchers found that the molecule boosted the mitochondria's integrity and kept worm muscle activity even as they entered old age or moved through their midlife.
The scientists also discovered some protein groups that regulated the expression of genes in aging, which is known as transcription factors. H2S apparently aimed at these transcription factors. Such findings could help with distinguishing new therapy targets for aging and other related conditions, especially those that impact muscle.
Professor Tim Ehetidge, the study's senior author who is from the University of Exeter, explains that worms are potent genetic tools for looking into human disease and health. They provide a strong way to find novel potential therapeutics.
While aging-related diseases widely affect society, the study findings show that H2S could potentially be used to aid people live healthier longer.
In an earlier study, the researchers found that it was possible to target H2S in worm skeletal muscle. The new study is the first time for the technique to be demonstrated in a context of natural aging.
The technology has been assigned by the University of Exeter to MitoRx Therapeutics, which has made compounds that have significantly better characteristics of drugs as potential treatments for combating aging-related conditions.
Professor Whiteman, a co-author of the study, explains that the study does not focus on prolonging life. Rather than that, it focuses on having a healthier life as one enters older age.
Mitochondrial Function and Aging
Mitochondria, which are largely referred to as the powerhouses of the cell, play pivotal roles when it comes to having healthy cellular function. They are crucial to calcium regulation, food metabolization, body heat generation, and cell survival.
There are several age-related health conditions that are related to the loss or deterioration of mitochondrial function. These conditions include neurodegenerative conditions, muscular dystrophy, primary mitochondrial diseases, and even natural aging.
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