by Bob Yirka, Medical Xpress
Fig. 1: Characterisation of the capacity of GSE to eliminate senescent cells. a, Quantification of senescent PSC27 cell survival by SA-β-Gal positivity. GSE was applied to the medium at increasing concentrations. CTRL, control (proliferating) cells; SEN, senescent cells; NS, not significant. P values were calculated by one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s multiple-comparison test. b, Representative images displaying SA-β-Gal staining after treatment of PSC27 cells with different concentrations of GSE. Scale bar, 20 μm. Data are representative of three independent experiments. DMSO, dimethylsulphoxide. c, Survival analysis of control and senescent PSC27 cells upon treatment with GSE (at concentrations of 0.3750, 0.7500, 1.8750, 3.7500, 7.5000, and 15.0000 μg ml−1, respectively). Data are shown as mean ± s.d. and were derived from three biological replicates (n = 3 independent assays). P values were calculated by two-sided t-tests. d, Time course measurement of in vitro viability upon treatment of control and senescent PSC27 cells with GSE (3.75 μg ml−1). Data are shown as mean ± s.d. and were derived from three biological replicates (n = 3 independent experiments). P values were calculated by two-sided t-tests. e, Flow cytometry measurement of control and senescent PSC27 cells after processing with an annexin V–FITC and propidium iodide (PI) kit and 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining to determine the extent of apoptosis. Q1–Q4, quartiles 1–4. f, Comparative quantification of the percentage of viable (Q4, PI−annexin V−) and apoptotic (Q2 and Q3, PI+annexin V+ and PI−annexin V+, respectively) cells in control or senescent populations treated with vehicle or GSE for 3 d (n = 3 biologically independent assays). P values were calculated by two-sided t-tests. g, Measurement of the fluorescence signal of MitoSOX Red, a mitochondrial superoxide indicator, in PSC27 cells under different conditions. P values were calculated by two-sided t-tests. h, High-resolution mass spectra showing the total ion chromatogram (TIC) and base peak chromatogram of GSE after performing HPLC–ESI-QTOF-MS. Unless otherwise indicated, cells were subjected to relevant analyses 3 d after GSE treatment in the culture condition. cps, counts per second. Data in bar graphs and regression curves are shown as mean ± s.d. and are representative of three biological replicates. NS, P > 0.05; *P < 0.05; **P < 0.01; ***P < 0.001; ****P < 0.0001. Credit: DOI: 10.1038/s42255-021-00491-8
A team of researchers affiliated with a host of institutions in China and the U.S. has found that injecting procyanidin C1 (PCC1), a chemical found in grape seed extract, into older mice extended their lifespan. In their paper published in the journal Nature Metabolism, the group describes the link between PCC1 and extended lifespan in mice and the experiments they carried out with the material.
Scientists have been trying for many years to understand the aging process. The hope is that once it is understood, mitigation efforts can slow or stop the process to allow people to live longer or to live in a more healthy way as they age. In this new effort, the researchers screened 46 plant extracts looking for anti-aging capabilities. They came across PCC1. Initial tests during screening showed it reduced the number of senescent cells in the human prostate. Such cells are known to contribute to aging. Intrigued with their results, the researchers tested it further. They found that at low doses it prevented senescent cells from contributing to inflammation, and at higher doses killed them outright without harming other cells.
The team then injected 171 mice with PCC1, 91 of whom were considered to be old. They found that this increased the overall lifespan of the mice by 9 percent and their remaining lifespans by 60 percent, on average. The researchers also injected younger mice with the extract chemical over a period of four months and found it improved their physical fitness. They then injected mice that had cancerous tumors with the chemical and found that doing so helped to shrink tumors when given in conjunction with chemotherapy. They also found it did the same with human tumor cells implanted into mice.
The researchers note that in all of their testing, they found no damage to normal cells, which suggests that PCC1 could be a promising therapeutic treatment for a wide variety of conditions and could very well reduce some of the negative impacts of aging. They conclude that more work is required to further test its effectiveness and to ensure that it does not result in negative side effects.
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