In a new study published in Cell, researchers have been able to reverse the age-related
endurance and muscle loss in mice by treating them with a compound that reactivates longevity linked
proteins.
Loss of endurance during the ageing process has been attributed, in part, to our blood vessels losing some of their capability to transport oxygen and nutrients to muscle tissue. This process leads to muscle loss and increased fragility over time. In some cases, it can lead to osteoporosis and other debilitating conditions in the elderly. In order to combat these issues, researchers wanted to see if certain compounds could reverse this process. What they found is that a compound can re-activate longevity linked proteins, sirtuins, that help promote blood vessel growth and muscle mass in elderly mice by increasing their endurance by up to 80%.
Previous studies from this group have shown that sirtuin proteins are present in nearly all animals and are involved in protecting against the effects of ageing in yeast. Therefore building on this study, scientists deleted the SIRT1 gene that encodes the major sirtuin, in mammals, in endothelial cells in mice in order to explore the role of sirtuins. This deletion in mice lead to reduced capillary density beginning at 6 months of age and half the endurance of control mice. Researchers then wanted to study the effect of boosting sirtuin externally, therefore they treated the mice with an artificial compound called NMN, an precursor to NAD, a coenzyme that activates SIRT1. After just two months of treatments and exercise, the mice should increased in blood vessels, endurance, and muscle mass leading researchers to conclude that boosting sirutin can counteract the effects of decline that occurs with normal ageing.
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