Slowing down aging, ever closer to realisation

Slowing down the aging process can be achieved in the not too distant future. By blocking a single protein, scientists say they have been able to extend the average life expectancy of mice by about 25%, a success that raises the question of whether such a procedure would have similar effects in humans, and so far there are promising signs. that it might be, according to a study published in Nature. In a new study, scientists injected mice between two ages with an antibody that blocks the action of the interleukin-11 protein, which produces inflammation in the body and is linked to the aging process in human cells.

At the start of the experiment, these mice were about 17 months old - the equivalent of 55 years in humans. The mice received injections every three weeks until they died, while a control group of mice did not receive the injections. Mice treated to block this protein lived about 25 percent longer than those in the control group, according to scientists who participated in the experiment. Mice that received the injections also had better health as they aged. For example, they were leaner and stronger than untreated mice and had better liver function and a more robust metabolism. In addition, only 16% of the treated mice developed cancer, compared to 61% of the rodents that did not receive the antibody injections. These results suggest that targeting the protein IL-11 may represent a promising approach to combat the negative health effects of aging, according to the team that conducted the study. These results are "very impressive", says Joao Pedro de Magalhaes, professor of molecular biogerontology at the University of Birmingham (Great Britain), who did not participate in the study. "If the role of the immune system in aging and the potential target for slowing aging are well established, IL-11 is an important new player in understanding the impact of the immune system and inflammation on aging," Magalhaes told Live Science. Despite the encouraging results obtained in mice, more studies are needed to determine if this type of intervention could have positive effects in humans. Scientists need to determine the mechanism by which blocking the action of the IL-11 protein leads to increased life expectancy in mice.

The researchers who conducted this study hope to take it to the stage of clinical trials on human subjects, according to Anissa Widjaja, the research coordinator, an assistant professor at the Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore.

Some treatments targeting IL-11 are already in the testing stage; they are tested for age-related diseases such as pulmonary fibrosis. Previous studies have shown that IL-11 can induce fibrosis and consequently it is believed that by blocking this protein the disease can be prevented. Other scientists, however, urge caution, warning that inflammation is an "important and necessary" component of the immune system. Jason Kim, a professor of molecular medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, who was not involved in this study, cautioned that blocking the IL-11 protein with a drug can have strong side effects that outweigh the positive effects on aging. For example, treatments against IL-11 could make people more vulnerable to other diseases and infections.