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As we age, our body composition will start to change, including our bones, which can even start to thin, causing fractures and even diseases like osteoporosis. But thanks to new research, there might actually be a cure on the way to help slow the aging of our bones. According to a recent study published in the journal Natural aging, a “fountain of youth” substance can help preserve bone marrow stem cells that can heal weak bones, and it’s called acetate.
A group of scientists from the Max Planck Institute for the Biology of Aging and the University of Cologne explain that in order to come to their conclusions, they had to do research on epigenetics, the study of stem cell function based on genetic. They found that when proteins are altered (formerly called histones), stem cell function decreases in the bone marrow due to the DNA links in the cells. The team went on to examine the mesenchymal stem cells to see how they were affected by epigenetics. These stem cells are found in the bone marrow and create other cells, such as cartilage, bone, and fat cells.
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“We wanted to know why these stem cells produce less material for the development and maintenance of bones as they age, causing more and more fat to accumulate in the bone marrow. To do this, we compared the epigenome of young and old stem cells. mouse, ”Andromachi Pouikli, the study’s first author, said in a university statement. “We have seen that the epigenome changes considerably with age. Genes important for bone production are particularly affected.”
To reconstruct the stem cell epigenome, researchers have tended to use mouse bone marrow stem cells with acetate solution. Ultimately, cells helped enzymes connect to histones, which inevitably increased DNA activity and attachment to genes. “This treatment caused an impressive rejuvenation of the epigenome, improving stem cell activity and leading to higher production of bone cells,” said Pouikli. In comparison with humans, the scientists found that the same epigenetic changes were found in them as in mice, based on mesenchymal stem cell samples from elderly patients who had hip surgery.
“Sodium acetate is also available as a food additive, however, it is not recommended to use it in this form against osteoporosis because our observed effect is very specific to certain cells. However, there are already early experiences with stem cell therapies for osteoporosis. Such treatment with acetate could also work in such a case. However, we still need to study the whole body effects in more detail in order to rule out risks and possible side effects, ”said Peter Tessarz, study leader.
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