Scientists have found an ‘unusual’ way to live a long life and have shown for the first time that ‘oxygen restriction’ was associated with increased lifespan in lab mice, highlighting its anti-aging ability.
Robert Rogers of the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, USA, and colleagues presented these results in a study published May 23 in the journal PLOS Biology.
Research efforts to extend lifespan have identified a number of chemical compounds and other interventions that show promise in mammalian laboratory animals, such as the drug metformin or dietary restrictions.
Oxygen limitation has also been linked to increased lifespan in yeast, nematodes, and fruit flies. However, its effect on mammals is unknown.
To explore the feasibility of mammalian rejuvenation through oxygen restriction, Rogers and colleagues conducted lab experiments with mice that age faster than other mice and show the classic signs of mammalian aging throughout their bodies.
Scientists compared the lifespan of mice living at normal levels of atmospheric oxygen (about 21%) with the lifespan of mice that were transferred at the age of 4 weeks to a living environment with less oxygen (11% – similar to what happens at 5000 years) . height), meter).
They found that mice in an oxygen-limited environment lived about 50 percent longer than mice with normal oxygen levels, with an average lifespan of 23.6 weeks compared to 15.7 weeks. Mice with limited oxygen access also delayed the onset of neurological deficits associated with aging.
Previous studies have shown that dietary restriction increases the lifespan of rapidly aging mice of the same type as in this new study. So the scientists wondered if oxygen restriction prolongs the lives of mice simply by making them eat more. However, they found that oxygen restriction does not affect food intake, suggesting that other mechanisms are at work.
These data confirm the possibility of rejuvenation of the organism due to oxygen restriction in mammals and, possibly, in humans. However, extensive additional research will be needed to elucidate its potential benefits and shed light on the molecular mechanisms by which it works.
Rogers adds: “We found that continuous chronic hypoxia (11% oxygen, equivalent to what happens at Everest Base Camp) prolongs life by 50% and delays the onset of neurasthenia in a mouse model of aging.
While calorie restriction is the most widely effective and well-studied intervention to increase longevity and health, this is the first time ‘oxygen restriction’ has been shown to be beneficial in a mammalian model of aging.”
Source: Medical Express
