Lithium chloride as a geroprotector
The results of a study conducted by scientists at University College London, working under the guidance of Professor Dame Linda Partridge, showed that adding small doses of lithium to the feed of drosophila flies of middle and older age increases the life expectancy of both females and males, regardless of their genotype. At the same time, in low dosages, lithium had practically no side effects and against the background of its consumption, the flies continued to eat normally and bring healthy offspring.
As part of the work, various doses of lithium chloride were added to the feed of 160 adult flies to assess the effect of lithium preparation on life expectancy. High doses of the drug shortened the life of insects, while small doses increased it by an average of 16% and a maximum of 18% compared to individuals of the control group who received sodium chloride (table salt).
The beneficial effects of lithium chloride were also manifested with its short-term and single use. So flies that received a single dose of the drug at the end of their life lived on average 13% longer. Young flies that received low doses of lithium chloride for 15 days and subsequently transferred to the control group diet for the rest of their lives also lived longer.
Registration of the reaction of thousands of flies to various environmental factors in order to monitor the effects of lithium chloride and study the mechanisms of its effect on life expectancy has shown that low doses of the drug not only prolong life, but also protect the body from stress and block the production of fat in insects contained in a diet with a high sugar content. Low doses of lithium chloride also neutralize the detrimental effect of higher toxic doses of this drug and other compounds, including the pesticide paraquat.
Changes in life expectancy, triglyceride levels, resistance to hunger (these two characteristics completely coincide) and resistance to toxins depending on the dosage of lithium compared to flies in the control group. A graph from an article in Cell Reports.
Further study of the issue showed that lithium chloride slows down the aging process by blocking the enzyme kinase-3 glycogen synthase (GSK-3) and activating a molecule known as nuclear factor erythroid-2 (NRF-2), identified in the body of roundworms, fruit flies and mammals (including humans) and performing an important role in protecting cells from damage.
According to the authors, the ultimate goal of the work is to develop methods of intervention in the human aging process to increase the period of good health and reduce the duration of the period of physical decline and diseases. This can be achieved with the help of diet, genetic interventions or pharmacological drugs, which determines the importance of finding targets for such drugs. The results obtained are very promising and the next stage of the work will be the study of GSK-3 as a target for potential geroprotectors in more complex animals.
Article by Linda Partridge et al. Lithium Promotes Longevity through GSK3/NRF2-Dependent Hormesis published in the journal Cell Reports.
Evgeniya Ryabtseva
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of University College London: Fruit flies live longer on lithium.
11.04.2016