Free radicals and life extension: Get drunk on poison!
Banned herbicide prolong the life of worms LifeSciencesToday based on materials from McGill University:
McGill researchers prolong worms’ life with banned herbicideSounds like a fantasy…
Dr. Siegfried Hekimi and his student Dr. Wen Yang, researchers at the Faculty of Biology at McGill University, tested the so-called free radical theory of aging on mutant worms Caenorhabditis elegans, in whose organisms the formation of free radicals was artificially increased. Scientists assumed, not without reason, that such worms would be short-lived. But they lived even longer than normal! Moreover, the life expectancy of animals was reduced if they were fed antioxidants, such as vitamin C.
Surprised scientists tried to simulate the positive effect of free radicals by treating ordinary wild worms with Paraquat, a herbicide whose mechanism of action is based on increasing the formation of these molecules. Paraquat is so toxic to humans and animals that its use is banned by the European Union and restricted in many other countries. To his delight, Hekimi discovered that after being treated with the chemical, the worms actually lived longer.
The article by Wen Yang, Siegfried Hekimi A Mitochondrial Superoxide Signal Triggers Increased Longevity in Caenorhabditis elegans is published in PLoS Biology.
Free radicals are toxic molecules formed in our body during the consumption of oxygen. The vital activity of the body is impossible without the use of oxygen, which produces free radicals as a by-product that harms cells. A long-standing theory suggests that aging is caused by a vicious circle, including the formation of free radicals that damage cells, and the subsequent further strengthening of their formation due to this harm.
"Our results call into question our understanding of how free radicals are involved in the aging process," Hekimi believes. "The current theory is very accurate and logical, but our results suggest the existence of another system of views explaining why oxidative stress is associated with aging."
Genetically modified worms have shown that the formation of free radicals can help activate the general protective and reparative mechanisms of the body. In other words, at certain stages of life, free radicals can be a key element of our health, despite their toxicity.
"Further experiments are needed to understand exactly how the data obtained can change our theory of aging," explains Hekimi. "Free radicals are clearly involved in the aging of the body, but quite possibly in a completely different way than is commonly thought."
To carry out this work, the Hekimi-led group received funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
Do not try to repeat this at home!
Dr. Hekimi thinks he should remind you of this.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru
10.12.2010