Tested on nematodes

A popular antibiotic has extended the life of worms

Sergey Kolenov, Hi-tech+

The drug minocycline, already approved for use, has slowed down the accumulation of toxic proteins, which in humans are associated with Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. However, it is not yet known whether the antibiotic can cause a similar effect in humans.

The accumulation of toxic proteins in neurons is associated with a number of brain diseases, including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. Many of them manifest themselves in old age, when the cell's ability to break down proteins decreases.

Researchers from the Scripps Institute decided to find a compound that can stimulate the process of protein breakdown and stop neurodegeneration in the early stages. To do this, they studied 21 different molecules from among those that prolong the life of nematode worms Caenorhabditis elegans, according to a press release from the Scripps Research Institute Antibiotic could protect against neurodegenerative diseases during aging.

(Article by Solis et al. Translation attention by minocycline enhances longevity and proteostasis in old post-stress-responsive organizations published in the journal eLife – VM).

During the study, it turned out that most of the compounds work only if they are applied to young individuals. The only exception was the antibiotic minocycline, which successfully prolonged the life of even elderly C.elegans individuals. Drawings from an article in eLife – VM.

The change in life expectancy when using 21 small molecules at the beginning of application on the 1st day (gray) or on the 8th day of life (orange). Please note that some compounds that prolong life expectancy when exposure begins at the 1st day become slightly toxic at a later age – VM.

To check whether the drug really affects the rate of protein aggregation, scientists compared the content of alpha-synucleins and beta-amyloids in worms, half of which received ordinary water, and half – minocycline. It turned out that individuals who received an antibiotic, regardless of age, accumulated toxic proteins more slowly.

However, the mechanism of action of minocycline was not the same as the researchers assumed at the beginning of the work. Instead of accelerating the breakdown of proteins, the drug affected the ribosomes and blocked their work. As a result, less proteins, including toxic ones, were released.

This conclusion was confirmed both in worms, mice and human cell cultures. Additional experiments have confirmed that minocycline increases life expectancy by regulating the production of proteins in ribosomes.

Survival curves for the control group of nematodes (black line) and treated with minocycline on day 1 (blue line) or day 8 of life (orange line).  Scientists hope that they will be able to optimize minocycline, an already approved drug, for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

However, it is not at all necessary that the effect obtained on animals can be repeated in humans. In addition, the additional use of antibiotics does not seem quite reasonable in conditions when too many of these drugs are prescribed anyway, which leads to an accelerated evolution of resistant bacteria.

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