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A science-based treatment that regenerates amputated limbs from axolotl salamanders could extend the lifespan of mice by 25 percent, according to the latest breakthrough in anti-aging research.
The technology, which involves inhibition of pro-inflammatory proteins, protects rodents against a range of diseases and is in early-stage human clinical trials for a fibrotic lung disease.
The results highlight the hope that a better understanding of the roles of individual genes and proteins may help extend both human lifespan and healthspan (the number of healthy years lived).
“What we’ve found is a pro-inflammatory factor that promotes ageing in the broadest sense,” said study leader Stuart Cook, a professor at Duke University, National University of Singapore and the MRC Institute of Medical Research in the U.K. “We found that inhibiting this factor extends health span. [and] Naturally, this also increases your lifespan. It has a knock-on effect.”
The new study, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, focuses on the role of an inflammation-stimulating protein called IL-11, whose increased production is associated with aging in mice, the scientists found.
The study found that deleting the gene that directs the production of IL-11 protected mice from a variety of diseases, metabolic slowdown, and frailty, and helped them live an average of 24.9% longer.
Blocking IL-11 with antibodies had a similarly beneficial effect on the lifespan of middle-aged mice: At 75 weeks of age (roughly equivalent to 55 years in humans), males lived 22.5% longer, and that figure rose to 25% in females.
The researchers said blocking IL-11 appeared to reduce the incidence of age-related cancers, supporting previous theories.
Although the study does not include human trial data, Cook said he is confident that beneficial anti-aging effects will be seen in humans.
IL-11 has long been of biological interest for its role in the incredible regeneration process of some species: previous studies have shown it helps fish, tadpoles and axolotls regrow lost fins, tails and limbs.
The protein plays a role in the development of the human body, but is becoming a growing problem as adults live much longer than our ancestors, and Cook likened IL-11’s role in aging to “adding fuel to the fire.”
The study adds to a portfolio of promising anti-aging technologies. Another area of interest is senolytics, the removal of senescent cells.
Ilaria Bellantuono, professor of musculoskeletal ageing at the University of Sheffield, said that while Cook’s team’s data looked “robust”, the proposed technique did not necessarily seem superior to anti-ageing drugs.
“Furthermore, there is no evidence that it has any benefit in later life, when the impairment becomes more pronounced,” Bellantuono added.
Human trials are needed to provide more data on anti-aging technologies, but even if successful, there will still be obstacles to introducing therapies: Identifying who is at risk of frailty can be difficult, and frailty is not always recognized by regulators as a medical condition for the purposes of drug reimbursement.
