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Beauty may be only a deep skin, but for those who are wondering how to keep this skin young, Japanese scientists may have found an answer in the form of a protein that encourages cell competition.
The prosaically named COL17A1 might not seem to be a fountain of youth, but the new study suggests that it does the hard work to keep the skin intact and intact.
The protein works by encouraging cell competition, a key process for maintaining tissue shape. This effectively "hunts" weaker cells while encouraging stronger cell replication.
"Damaged or stressed stem cells can be selectively removed by intact stem cells every day in our skin," said Emi Nishimura, research director, professor in the department of stem cell biology at the University Medical and Dental University. Tokyo.
But aging causes exhaustion of COL17A1, as do familiar enemies of young skin, such as UV radiation and other stressors.
And when this happens, the weaker cells replicate, leaving the skin thinner, more prone to damage, and slower to heal.
The research, published Thursday in the journal Nature, is based on investigations using mouse tails, which share many of the same characteristics as human skin.
After confirming the importance of COL17A1, the team decided to study the possibility of stimulating the protein once it is exhausted, by effectively looking for compounds capable of reviving the anti-aging process of the skin.
They isolated two chemical compounds – Y27632 and apocynin – and tested both on skin cells, with positive results.
"Applying these drugs to full-thickness skin wounds has greatly promoted wound repair," the study says.
Both compounds suggest ways to "facilitate skin regeneration and reduce skin aging," the study added.
In a study of the study commissioned by Nature, two professors from the University of Colorado said that competition between cells had previously been the subject of many studies on fruit flies.
The research "proves that healthy cells in mammals can also effectively repopulate adult tissue, replacing unfit or damaged cells," wrote professors Ganna Bilousova and James DeGregori.
And they said that the research offered a "proof of principle" that both chemical compounds could combat aging.
"Future studies are needed to determine the mechanisms of cell competition in other tissues and to identify compounds that can reverse aging in other organs," they said.
Nishimura said the work could eventually lead to products such as creams or tablets that can prevent skin damage and promote repair.
"We will collaborate with pharmaceutical or cosmetic companies for the clinical use of chemicals," she said.
She added that additional research would aim to determine if the same process could also be used in other parts of the body that have so-called epithelial cells, as does the skin.
"We are also working on other epithelial organs to determine if similar competition may underlie long-term tissue maintenance and organ aging," she said.
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