The Possibilities of Aging Reversal 2: Destroying Zombie Cells and Creating New Cells

I started with the topic "The Possibilities of Aging Reversal: Exploring the Science Behind Slowing Down Aging Clock" Previously, and I will be continuing another aspect of aging in this post.

In today's world, the average lifespan is on the rise, thanks to advancements in medicine and innovation. It's projected that by 2030, around 1.4 billion people will be over the age of 60. As we strive to extend our years, it's crucial to address the concept of aging reversal – the idea of reducing our biological age in comparison to our chronological age.

A groundbreaking study by scientists revealed that it's possible to increase the lifespan of animals by about 30% and up to 300% through controlled dietary measures. This phenomenon has been observed in organisms ranging from yeast, cells, Drosophila, mice, worms, to monkeys. Interestingly, the impact of dietary changes on lifespan is more pronounced in simpler organisms.^,

Research in the field of aging has led to the creation of genetically modified animals, such as longer-living worms, which have provided invaluable insights into the aging process. Through these studies, scientists have identified a fundamental hallmark of aging: cellular damage accumulates over time. This damage manifests in changes to the DNA within our cells, disrupting gene function. This deterioration leads to the formation of senescent cells, or "zombie cells," which linger in our bodies with no useful purpose. ^,

The DNA in the cells start to change which then destroy genes messing with the function of the cells. Overt time, cells become zombie cells which senescent cells that serve no function but remain in our body. These cells have an abnormal metabolism,they are leaky and realease cytokines into the body where the immune system begins to damage the zombie cells as well as the sorrounding tissues. This is why aging is associated with chronic inflammation of the joints and the hardening of arteries.^{, , ,}

Since zombie cells are responsible for causing certain conditions as we age, removing the cells would be a good way to solve that problem. In 2011, scientist experimented on slowing down aging in old mice as they genetically modified the mice and destroyed old zombie cells. The result of this experiement showed that mice that didn't contain zombie cell lived longer than mice that had zombie cells. With this, scientist created Senolytics which is a new class of drug that destroy zombie cells while keeping normal cells intect. The drug is also used to destroy cancer cells so it is useful in destroying dead, harmful cells in the body. Other drugs that target zombie calls are Quercetin which target zombie cells in the skin, and navitoclax which remove zombie cells in the brain. ^,

While Senolytics might look like the answer we want, they only act in specific tissues as there are different types of zombie cells depending on the area of the body they are found.^,

Scientist also looked at activating isolated youthful genes in the body so as to make cells younger, and they decided to activate transcription factors such as Nanog gene which important in embryonic stem cell proliferation and renewal. Nanog genes were tested in mice and the muscle cells became younger and there were increased muscle stem cells. Researchers at the University of Buffalo also tried nanog genes on mouse models, and got significant result in skeletal muscle cells of the mouse.^{, ,}

After all the above written, it is visible that we would have to wait a long time for scientist to come up with something that can help us reverse aging since it is not a pandemic, but then there are things that we can do with regards to aging and slowing it down. I am talking about lifestyle changes such as Diet where we can reduce our caloric intake which can lead to autophagy. Exercise is another way we can slow down aging as the more active a person is, the more fewer zombie cells they have.

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Image Reference

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• Image 1 || Flickr || Focus on the Elderly: The World Assembly on Aging
• Image 2 || Rawpixel || Mouse by Jean Bernard (1775-1883).