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Research Can Younger People Rejuvenate Elderly Blood?
Three scientific studies have come to the conclusion that old mice undergo a true rejuvenation by injecting the blood of younger animals. However, the researchers warn of experiments with the infusion of young blood in humans. Although aging in the muscles and brain of old mice was reversed in the experiments, the results were limited to a genetic strain of mice and are not readily transmissible to humans. Nevertheless, the results of future medical therapies can help.
Already last year the team had Richard Lee from Harvard University published a study that concluded that a protein called GDF11 in the blood of young mice has a rejuvenating effect on the heart of old mice. However, as the US newspaper The Boston Globe reports, "Nobody knew at that time whether the effect was specific for the heart or even for aging in other tissues." Two recent studies published in the journal "Science" now confirm the rejuvenation effect also for the brain and the muscles, reports the US-sheet further.
The blood of young mice can reverse the aging process. Picture: Casther - fotolia Old mice fit again after the blood infusion
According to the newspaper, after infusing the protein, the older mice were able to run on a treadmill for almost twice as long as untreated mice. In addition, Harvard University's first study found "profound changes in the muscle stem cells of older mice," with cells appearing younger and "also showing changes in the structure of the muscle," reports The Boston Globe..
In young mice, the injection of the protein had no effect. In a second study, Dr. Lee Rubin, director of translational medicine at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, found that infusion of young mice's blood into older animals also causes an increase in brain branching and brain cell proliferation. The treated animals were more sensitive to odors, indicating that the treatment had an impact on their ability. ruby.
Rejuvenation in the heart, muscles and brain
The third study was published in the journal Nature Medicine by researchers from the University of California. The scientists observed changes in gene activity in the brain of older mice after infusion of the blood of young animals. In particular, the researchers noted changes in the activity of genes as well as the connectivity of brain cells in the hippocampus. The older animals would have been able to solve certain memory tasks much better after the treatment.
Saul Villeda of the University of California told The Boston Globe that the three recent papers, despite their diverging approach, reinforce each other's results. The proven effects on the heart, muscles and brain are particularly promising, according to Amy Wagers, a professor of stem cell and regenerative biology at Harvard University, as these tissue structures are most affected by advancing age. "Changes in these tissues are responsible for the changes that people worry most about - loss of cognitive ability and motor-independent function," Wagers continues.
Although researchers still have many questions about the mechanism of the protein and the best therapeutic strategies, researchers are already working on the commercialization of the discovered protein. In addition, a comparable protein has been detected in human blood, which gives hope for further therapeutic options for the future. However, the researchers explicitly warned against vampire cases with blood infusions compared to "The Boston Globe". (Fp)