A molecule to survive always young

2002/03/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Biologia

Thanks to the collaboration between Kyung-Tai Ming and the researchers of the U.S. Institute of Health. and the California Institute of Technology, a molecule has been discovered that prolongs the life of vinegar flies. The discovery was unexpected. It seems that in vinegar flies with neuronal degenerative disease the molecule called 4-phenylbutyrate (PBA) was being tested, it was observed that the maximum life expectancy of healthy flies increased by 50% and the average life expectancy by a third. In addition, the lengthening of life did not involve negative side effects.

PBA activates about 100 genes and another 50 are blocked. For example, they have found that the gene that controls dismutase superoxide with anti-aging effect is activated.

However, although researchers consider that PBA may be beneficial for the treatment of certain types of cancer, it has not yet been tested on mammal cells.