An anti-aging vaccine has been discovered, according to recent research by Japanese scientists, and it is claimed to eradicate zombie cells that collect with age and destroy neighboring cells, producing aging-related disorders such as arterial stiffening, as well as increase human longevity.
Researchers from Tokyo's Juntendo University found that mice given the vaccine had less senescent cells, often known as zombie cells, and had less arterial stiffening in areas impacted by arterial stiffening.
Three vaccine bottles with an injection syringe According to Professor Toru Minamino, one of the researchers, the vaccine will be used to treat arterial stiffness, diabetes, and other aging-related disorders.
Senescent cells are ones that have ceased to divide but have not died. They create inflammation in neighboring healthy cells by releasing substances that harm them.
Telomere degradation is the most well-known cause of senescent cells. Telomeres are DNA sequences that can be found at the ends of chromosomes. They are made up of a DNA sequence of repeated nucleotides; for example, in human telomeres, the repeated nucleotides are TTAGGG, and they stretch to 11 kilobases after birth. These repetitions prevent the chromosomes from losing essential information and combining with adjacent chromosomes during replication.
Other types of DNA damage, in addition to telomere erosion, can cause cellular senescence by degrading DNA. DNA double strand breaks are the most common cause of DDR (DNA damage response), which causes cells to become senescent. The presence of mitogenic signals, reactive oxygen species, or specific proteins that stimulate cell growth and proliferation are examples of other factors that act through the DDR.
The researchers discovered a protein found in senescent cells in humans and mice, and developed a peptide vaccination based on one of the protein's amino acids.
The vaccine causes the body to produce antibodies that bind to senescent cells and are then eliminated by white blood cells that stick to the antibodies.
A building at the Juntendo University campus Many accumulated senescent cells were eliminated and disease-affected areas reduced when the team gave the vaccine to animals with arterial stiffness. According to the researchers, when given to elderly mice, the frailty progression was slower than in uninfected mice.
Many of the currently available medications for removing senescent cells are also used as anti-cancer treatments and may have undesirable side effects. The new vaccine had fewer side effects and lasted longer, according to the researchers.
The vaccination also successfully targeted senescent cells in adipose tissue and blood arteries, implying that it could benefit other age-related medical disorders.