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Credit: https://www.betteraging.com/aging-science/scientists-discover-what-might-be-an-anti-aging-molecule/

MIT scientists discover enzyme that could help reverse aging

April 5, 2021

  • A study carried out by scientists from MIT found that aging neurons create cumulative DNA damage that ultimately results in cognitive impairment and other age-related health declines. 
  • The study team demonstrated reduced levels of an enzyme known as HDAC1 in older adults and people with Alzheimer’s disease.
  • Experimenting with mice, the researchers proved that restoring the enzyme (HDAC1) reinstated the capacity to repair DNA damage and reversed cognitive decline

A study carried out by neuroscientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has revealed a compound that could help repair age-induced DNA damage in cognitive and memory-related genes.  The study findings were initially published in Nature Communications in May 2020.  The study was funded by the National Institute of Aging, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, and a Glenn Award for Research in Biological Mechanisms of Aging.   Gradual deterioration of cellular and physiological functions is an inevitable consequence of aging, resulting in increased vulnerability to diseases and mortality. Another telltale hallmark of aging is the deterioration of genes due to accumulated DNA damage. This leads to genetic mutations that could cause diseases such as cancer and cognitive impairment in the human brain, among other conditions.  Researchers have already linked anomalies in DNA repair genes and impaired DNA repair pathways to premature aging and neurological symptoms in both humans and rodents.  HDAC1 is an enzyme in the human body that plays a key role in regulating gene expression. Prior studies have established reduced levels of this compound in older people and patients with Alzheimer’s disease.   In the new study, the MIT team investigated whether restoring optimal levels of this enzyme could help reverse aging. Experiments showed that when HDAC1 enzyme was lost, mice experienced a type of DNA damage that built up over time. The test mice also showed signs of impairment in memory tests and spatial navigation. Consistently, studies involving Alzheimer’s patients have shown these types of DNA damage, which are caused by the accumulation of harmful metabolic byproducts with time. As people age, their bodies aren’t able to remove these byproducts very easily.  The researchers noted that when a drug that activated the enzyme was administered, the DNA damage was reversed and the mice appeared to demonstrate improved cognitive function. This led to the conclusion that HDAC1 is an important anti-aging molecule that could be potentially used in human trials. “It seems that HDAC1 is really an anti-aging molecule. I think this is a very broadly applicable basic biology finding because nearly all of the human neurodegenerative diseases only happen during aging. I would speculate that activating HDAC1 is beneficial in many conditions,” said Li-Huei Tsai, the study’s lead author and director of the MIT Picower Institute of Learning and Memory. The MIT study adds to the growing body of knowledge on compounds that have an implication on aging; offers new hope for potential drugs that could treat or reverse age-related decline.

References: https://interestingengineering.com/enzyme-that-could-reverse-aging-discovered-by-mit-scientists

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