A new study indicates that scientists have found a new way of delaying the aging process in mice, and they hope to replicate the finding in people.

The scientists published their findings in the journal Cell Metabolism¹. The research was built upon an earlier study that shed light on progeria, a rare genetic disease that prematurely ages one in four million babies.

A mutation was found in the Lamin A protein, which lines the nucleus in human cells, disrupting the repair process and accelerating aging. They also found that normal and healthy Lamin A binds to and activates the gene SIRT1, which has been long associated with longevity. If scientists can develop drugs that mimic Lamin A or increase the binding between Lamin A and SIRT1, this may lead to anti-aging drugs.

The team also examined if the binding efficiency was boosted with resveratrol, a compound found in the skin of red grapes. Mice fed with concentrated resveratrol fared significantly better than healthy mice that weren’t given it and the onset of aging was delayed and the life expectancy was extended. Mice with progeria lived 30% longer when fed with resveratrol compared with progerial mice not given the compound.

References

Liu, B. et al. C. Metabolism, Volume 16, Issue 6, 738-750 (2012), doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2012.11.007.

[via Reuters]