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Credit: https://thebiomedicalscientist.net/news/blood-cell-production-insights

Scientists have now unlocked the key to unlimited blood-cell production

April 7, 2021

Researchers have discovered a specific biological mechanism that deteriorates with age; hindering the body’s ability to regenerate healthy blood cells.
Through the use of advanced techniques, the researchers were able to restore this mechanism in aging mice, allowing them to regenerate healthy blood components once more.
The findings could lead to human therapies that potentially pioneer groundbreaking discoveries that will inevitably improve the health of the aging classes in our society.

As we age, it becomes naturally strenuous for the human body to create more than 200 billion new blood cells every single day. Eventually, this wearing out leads to a number of health problems such as anemia and blood-related cancers. But what if we could halt the aging process altogether and maintain healthy and young blood cells throughout our lives? After-all, blood cells do make up 90% of the body’s cellular structure…and therefore, keeping them healthy and abundant is a sure way of boosting vitality. Now, a team of scientists from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have discovered an advanced technique of doing what once seemed impossible…keeping our internal blood processing plant active. The results of the study were published in the journal, Nature, opening up multiple avenues from which disease-preventive therapies can be created. “If we manage to keep 90% of the cells in our body young, chances are that much of our body is going to be young,” says Angelo D’Alessandro, an expert in blood research based at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Blood cells are responsible for the transportation of oxygen, control of infections, as well as other functions that scientists are now discovering. Unfortunately, these blood cells tend to have a very short lifespan—roughly 120 days for red blood cells, and much shorter for other variants of blood cells. Therefore, the body must continuously regenerate them. Regeneration of blood cells is made possible by the ability of hematopoietic stem cells to multiply and differentiate into the different variants of blood cells; a mechanism that deteriorates as we grow older. During the study, the researchers analyzed chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA); one of the mechanisms responsible for the degradation taking place. As we age, CMA gradually loses its efficiency to clean up any damaged proteins and waste; thereby hindering hematopoietic stem cells from creating new and healthy blood cells. Researchers also analyzed another essential protein—LAMP2A—responsible for regulating CMA function in the body. They then used dietary, genetic, and pharmacological interventions to revive hematopoietic stem cells in aging laboratory mice. The study further showed that the metabolic enzyme—FADS2—involved in the metabolism of fatty acids also loses its capabilities with aging; thereby reducing healthy blood cell formation. By introducing a product of the deteriorating enzyme known as gamma linolenic acid (GLA) into the diet of the mice, the researchers were able to increase cell regeneration. Interestingly, the researchers observed that the CMA deterioration in mice closely resembled that of humans; meaning that their findings could potentially translate to reversing the deterioration process of HSC in humans, and thus, opening up a pathway to numerous medical applications. In fact, previous studies have strongly linked the onset of neurological degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s to the waste buildup arising from the decline in CMA. And other studies have shown that chronic inflammation also triggers alteration and deterioration of the blood-regenerating process. Researchers also believe that the findings from this study could also have a significant impact on today’s blood donation trends. Currently, the largest demographic of blood donors are above the age of 65. And in a country like the United States where more than 15 million units of blood are transfused every year, that is quite alarming. Indeed, blood from aging donors exhibits some of the characteristics found in blood from aging mice; having significantly lower levels of GLA and polyunsaturated fatty acids. The low concentration of these fatty acids greatly affects the flexibility of blood cell membranes; which is vital when it comes to the regulation of blood cell circulation after transfusion. While researchers may not have discovered the fountain of youth yet through this study, its findings will go a long way in pioneering groundbreaking discoveries that could translate to better health for the aging classes in our society.

References: https://news.cuanschutz.edu/news-stories/scientists-discover-ways-of-making-old-blood-new-again

Scientists have now unlocked the key to unlimited blood-cell production

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