Researchers observed that mice that received a special compound to remove dead cells lived 35 percent longer than normal mice.
Researchers have been studying senescence in mice and came up with a compound that helped to lengthen the life span of the mice by 35 percent.
Senescence of cells is a process in which cells grow larger and then normal diploid cells stop to divide. In cell culture, cells can reach a maximum of 50 cell divisions before senescence.
In our body, dead cells are removed by regeneration of new cells. However, as we age the immune system of the body slows down in the process of wiping out dead cells and building up of new cells. The dead cells in return can damage the cells that lie in proximity with it and can lead to various age-related diseases.
Researchers have found a compound that can induce the removal of dead cells in mice and promote a lengthier and healthier life. A translational research is necessary to show the efficacy of the compound in humans, whose success can be a breakthrough in providing better health to human.
The compound can clear senescent cells and it can potentially delay tumor formation and preserve organ function for a longer period of time. This finding can be auspicious for cancer research.
Dr Darren Baker, molecular microbiologist at Mayo clinic and first author of the study, is certain about the propitious implications of the compound on human, according to The Telegraph.
"The advantage of targeting senescent cells is that clearance of just 60-70 percent can have significant therapeutic effects," Dr Baker said.
Prof Ilaria Bellantuono, Professor of Musculoskeletal Ageing in University of Sheffield, expressed her doubts about the research stating that it is far from being a solution to ageing as there are other aspects such as mobility which cannot be improved and that the study is conducted in mice and not human.
The study was published in the journal Nature.
