Aging slow down in mice

Scientists discover how to slow down aging in mice and increase longevity

Blocking a specific protein complex in the hypothalamus and injecting a hormone slow aging and cognitive decline

May 3, 2013

“Aging is a life event that is programmed
by the hypothalamus,” say scientists (credit: iStockphoto)

Scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have found that the hypothalamus of mice controls aging throughout the body.

Their discovery of a specific age-related signaling pathway opens up new strategies for combating diseases of old age and extending lifespan.

Background: the hypothalmus and inflammation

“Scientists have long wondered whether aging occurs independently in the body’s various tissues or if it could be actively regulated by an organ in the body,” said senior author Dongsheng Cai, M.D., Ph.D., professor of molecular pharmacology at Einstein.

“It’s clear from our study that many aspects of aging are controlled by the hypothalamus. What’s exciting is that it’s possible — at least in mice — to alter signaling within the hypothalamus to slow down the aging process and increase longevity.”/.../

Hypothalamic programming of systemic ageing involving IKK-β, NF-κB and GnRH

• Guo Zhang,
• Juxue Li,
• Sudarshana Purkayastha,
• Yizhe Tang,
• Hai Zhang,
• Ye Yin,
• Bo Li,
• Gang Liu
• & Dongsheng Cai

• Affiliations
• Contributions
• Corresponding author

Nature

 

(2013)

 

doi:10.1038/nature12143

Received

 

05 October 2011 

Accepted

 

02 April 2013 

Published online

 

01 May 2013

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Abstract

• Abstract•
 
• Author information•
 
• Supplementary information

Ageing is a result of gradual and overall functional deteriorations across the body; however, it is unknown whether an individual tissue primarily works to mediate the ageing progress and control lifespan. Here we show that the hypothalamus is important for the development of whole-body ageing in mice, and that the underlying basis involves hypothalamic immunity mediated by IκB kinase-β (IKK-β), nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) and related microglia–neuron immune crosstalk. Several interventional models were developed showing that ageing retardation and lifespan extension are achieved in mice by preventing ageing-related hypothalamic or brain IKK-β and NF-κB activation. Mechanistic studies further revealed that IKK-β and NF-κB inhibit gonadotropin-releasing hormone(GnRH) to mediate ageing-related hypothalamic GnRH decline, and GnRH treatment amends ageing-impaired neurogenesis and decelerates ageing. In conclusion, the hypothalamus has a programmatic role in ageing development via immune–neuroendocrine integration, and immune inhibition or GnRH restoration in the hypothalamus/brain represent two potential strategies for optimizing lifespan and combating ageing-related health problems.