Returning the clock. removing a receiver of some pain in mice helps them live longer.
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scientists have found a way to beat back the hands of time and fight against the ravages of old age, at least in mice . A new study reveals that high mouse pain without specific sensor, or a receiver, live longer and are less likely to develop diseases such as diabetes in the elderly. In addition, exposure to a molecule found in peppers and other spicy foods may confer the same benefits as the loss of the pain receptor which means that humans could potentially benefit, too.
When you touch something hot or get a paper cut villain, pain receptors in your skin are activated, causing the neurons to relay a message to your brain: "Ouch" Although pain protects your body against damage, it also causes damage. People who experience chronic pain, for example, are more likely to have a shorter lifespan, but the reason for this remains uncertain.
To investigate further mice, researchers at the University of California (UC), Berkeley, raised without pain receptor called TRPV1. Found in the skin, nerves and joints, it is known to be activated by the spicy compound found in chili peppers, known as capsaicin. (When you feel like your mouth burn after eating a jalapeño that TRPV1 is at work.) Surprisingly, mice without TRPV1 lived on average 14% longer than their normal counterparts, the reports of the team today ' hui in cell . (Meanwhile, calorie restriction Another popular way of extending the life span of mice, can live up to 40% longer.) When TRPV1-less mice aged, they still showed signs of young fast metabolisms. Their bodies continued rapidly clear the blood sugar to a feature called glucose tolerance generally decreases with age and they burned more calories during exercise than regular old mice.
The reason for the increase in mouse longevity may be in the role of the TRPV1 receptor in regulating insulin, a hormone that removes sugar from the blood, says principal investigator Andrew Dillin , a molecular biologist at UC Berkeley. In the pancreas, TRPV1 neurons stimulate the release of a substance called CGRP, which prevents insulin from entering the bloodstream. With less insulin, it is more difficult to control blood sugar. The mice without the TRPV1 gene had low levels of CGRP, which meant they had more insulin, which explains their increased ability to manage glucose levels. Interestingly, the naked mole-rat very long life, who lives more than 30 years, does not naturally CGRP, suggesting a key role for the chemical in the aging process, according Dillin.
TRPV1 is already a popular target for pharmaceutical companies that attempt to treat pain, and therapy that blocks CGRP is being developed for migraines. But Dillin suggests that companies should think beyond pain control. "These drugs may also be useful for treating diabetes and obesity," he said. Already, diets rich in capsaicin have been linked to lower cases of diabetes and metabolic problems in humans, he said. So, spicy foods may be a way to extend life? Perhaps, Dillin said, but you would have to eat a lot of them over a long period of time. "prolonged exposure to capsaicin can effectively kill the neuron "that transmits signals from TRPV1, he said. Knocking these signals could mimic the effects of being born without TRPV1 in the first place and therefore could lead to a longer life.
the idea that pain can cause aging is intriguing, says molecular biologist David Sinclair of Harvard Medical School in Boston, who was not involved in the study. "It is striking that the mice were without TRPV1 protected from some of the ravages of old age, including lower metabolism, cognition and physical activity, "said Sinclair. Although there is no guarantee that the pain receptors controlling aging in humans, he notes, perhaps the next step could be "to see if people with different variants of CGRP gene are protected against diseases related to age. "
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