Geroprotectors and chronobiotics
Press Center of the Ministry of Education and Science
Every year, on October 1, the International Day of the Elderly is celebrated all over the world. The holiday, established in 1991 by decision of the UN General Assembly, is held to draw attention to the problems of older people, their individual and social needs, as well as to improve their quality of life.
Biological, social and psychological aspects of aging, as well as its causes and ways to combat it, are being investigated by gerontologists. For a long time they have been looking for new ways to prolong life and reduce the risk of developing diseases, which are mainly affected by the elderly. In particular, the staff of the Institute of Biology of the Komi Scientific Center of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IB FIT Komi NC UrO RAS) studies chemical compounds and plant extracts for the presence of geroprotective (literally, "protecting from old age") properties, and then checks their effectiveness on genetically modified fruit flies — fruit flies.
"We use, among other things, specially bred insects as translational models of human diseases. For example, some flies with altered genes suffer from symptoms similar to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. With the help of various substances, we are trying to increase the life expectancy of such fruit flies or reduce the manifestation of a genetically induced disease in order to improve the quality of life," said Ilya Solovyov, an employee of the laboratory of geroprotective and radioprotective technologies.
The next stage of research, according to the scientist, will be to test the effectiveness of the identified geroprotectors on mammals and human cells. If the drugs are found to be safe, their clinical trials will begin with the participation of people.
In addition to the action of geroprotectors, the effectiveness of drugs that directly affect the biological clock of a living cell is tested on fruit flies. Chronobiotics research was supported by a grant from the Russian Foundation for Basic Research.
"Studies of chronobiotics have shown interesting results. It was found out that drugs that bind to blue receptor molecules can prolong the life of fruit flies and increase their resistance to starvation. And the KL001 molecule is able to increase the mobility of old flies and reduce their drowsiness," Ilya Solovyov noted.
The scientist added that so far chronobiotics have been tested only on insects, but computer models of the drug's interaction with proteins and human cells indicate that it will be safe for humans and has no toxic effects. The results of a computer search for potential targets of the KL001 chronobiotic will be published in a prestigious foreign journal in collaboration with Professor Ancha Baranova (George Mason University, Washington), Corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Professor Alexey Moskalev (IB Komi NC UrO RAS) and Candidate of Biological Sciences Vladimir Ivanisenko (Institute of Cytology and Genetics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences).
While the effectiveness of drugs has not been proven, it is possible to increase the duration of an active life without a "magic pill" with the help of proper nutrition and a healthy lifestyle. Gerontologists are convinced that for longevity it is necessary to reduce the calorie content of food, observe interval fasting, sleep at least seven hours a day and regularly exercise.
"All this will allow us to maximize the genetic potential of a long and healthy life inherent in us, our innate ability to fight entropy that destroys the perfect biological system of any organism," Ilya Solovyov summed up.
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