- Dutch researchers tested the effects of the new peptide compound on mice
- They found it reversed loss off fur caused by age and made the mice stronger
- It works by destroying broken, ageing cells that accumulate as people get older
- Called senescent cells, they are considered to cause many age-related diseases
Scientists have made a breakthrough towards creating a pill that can reverse signs of ageing.
A compound that could have a dramatic effect in restoring hair loss, kidney function and physical energy has been discovered.
It ‘seeks and destroys’ broken, ageing cells that accumulate as we get older, Dutch researchers claim.
Known as senescent cells, they are widely considered to contribute to many age-related diseases.
A compound that could have a dramatic effect in restoring hair loss, kidney function and physical energy has been discovered
In trials on mice, the effects were dramatic – both on naturally ageing mice and those genetically engineered to grow older at a rapid rate.
The compound reversed loss off fur caused by age, poor kidney function and made the mice stronger.
Fast-aging mice with patches of missing fur began to recover their coats after 10 days, the Erasmus University Medical Center researchers found.
After about three weeks, the ageing mice got fitter, according to the study published in Trends in Molecular Medicine.
Older mice began to run double the distance of their counterparts who did not receive the drug – called a modified FOXO4 peptide.
A month after treatment, aged mice showed an increase in markers indicating healthy kidney function.
Scientists claim that the breakthrough could allow for a pill to be created that can reverse signs of ageing
However, the compound, which took four years to identify, has yet to be tested in humans – but the researchers will do so in the near future.
It works by interfering with a compound called FOXO4 which is hardly found in young healthy cells.
As this compound builds up, it stops ageing cells from self-destructing. These then begin to build up around in the body, and lead to ill health.
The modified FOXO4 peptide overcomes this, and causes the cell to ‘commit suicide’ – destroying it.
It does this by triggering the cell’s self destruct button – which involves another compound in the cell called p53.
Study author Dr Peter de Keizer said: ‘Only in senescent cells does this peptide cause cell death.
‘We treated mice for over 10 months, giving them infusions of the peptide three times a week, and we didn’t see any obvious side effects.
‘FOXO4 is barely expressed in non-senescent cells, so that makes the peptide interesting as the FOXO4-p53 interaction is especially relevant to senescent cells, but not normal cells.’