Ibuprofen use leads to
extended lifespan in several species, study shows
See also: http://www.progressive-charlestown.com/2014/11/can-advil-heal-lungs-of-older-people.html#more
A
common over-the-counter drug that tackles pain and fever may also hold keys to
a longer, healthier life, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Research
scientist.
Regular
doses of ibuprofen extended the lifespan of multiple species, according to
research published in the journal Public Library of Science, Genetics.
"We
first used baker's yeast, which is an established aging model, and noticed that
the yeast treated with ibuprofen lived longer," said Dr. Michael
Polymenis, an AgriLife Research biochemist in College Station. "Then we
tried the same process with worms and flies and saw the same extended lifespan.
Plus, these organisms not only lived longer, but also appeared healthy."
Polymenis,
who also is a professor in the biochemistry and biophysics department at Texas
A&M University, collaborated with Dr. Brian Kennedy, the president and CEO
of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in Novato, California, along with
several researchers from Russia and the University of Washington.
Ibuprofen
is a relatively safe drug that was created in the early 1960s in England. It
was first made available by prescription and then, after widespread use, became
available over-the-counter throughout the world in the 1980s. The World Health
Organization includes ibuprofen on their "List of Essential
Medications" needed in a basic health system. Ibuprofen is described as
a"nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug used for relieving pain, helping
with fever and reducing inflammation."
Polymenis
said the three-year project showed that ibuprofen interferes with the ability
of yeast cells to pick up tryptophan, an amino acid found in every cell of
every organism. Tryptophan is essential for humans, who get it from protein
sources in the diet.
"We
are not sure why this works, but it's worth exploring further. This study was a
proof of principle to show that common, relatively safe drugs in humans can
extend the lifespan of very diverse organisms. Therefore, it should be possible
to find others like ibuprofen with even better ability to extend lifespan, with
the aim of adding healthy years of life in people."
"Dr.
Polymenis approached me with this idea of seeing how his cell cycle analysis
corresponded with our aging studies," said Dr. Brian Kennedy, CEO at the
Buck Institute for Research on Aging in Novato, California. "He had
identified some drugs that had some really unique properties, and we wanted to
know if they might affect aging, so we did those studies in our lab. We're
beginning to find not just ibuprofen, but other drugs that affect aging, so
we're really excited about it.
"Our
institute is interested in finding out why people get sick when they get old.
We think that by understanding those processes, we can intervene and find ways
to extend human health span, keeping people healthier longer and slowing down
aging. That's our ultimate goal."
Chong
He, a postdoctoral fellow at Buck Institute and lead author on the paper, said
looking deeper into the common drugs that target individual diseases might shed
light on understanding the aging process.
"We
have some preliminary data on worms that showed that this drug also extended
the health span in worms," she said. "It made them live not just longer
but also more healthy. You can measure the thrashing of the worms. If they're
healthy, they do have a tendency to thrash a lot, and also we can measure the
pumping as they swallow, because if they're healthy, the pumping is faster.
"Ibuprofen
is something that people have been taking for years, and no one actually knew
that it can have some benefits for longevity and health span."
Story Source:
The
above story is based on materials provided by Texas A&M AgriLife Communications. Note:
Materials may be edited for content and length.
Journal Reference:
1.
Chong He, Scott K.
Tsuchiyama, Quynh T. Nguyen, Ekaterina N. Plyusnina, Samuel R. Terrill, Sarah
Sahibzada, Bhumil Patel, Alena R. Faulkner, Mikhail V. Shaposhnikov, Ruilin
Tian, Mitsuhiro Tsuchiya, Matt Kaeberlein, Alexey A. Moskalev, Brian K.
Kennedy, Michael Polymenis. Enhanced Longevity by Ibuprofen, Conserved
in Multiple Species, Occurs in Yeast through Inhibition of Tryptophan Import. PLoS
Genetics, 2014; 10 (12): e1004860 DOI:10.1371/journal.pgen.1004860
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Texas A&M AgriLife Communications. "Ibuprofen use leads
to extended lifespan in several species, study shows." Science
Daily, 18 December 2014.