It is now possible to reverse the signs of aging, according to a study

Scientists, including a scientist. Indian origin, have found a way to reverse the action of wrinkled skin and hair loss that are considered the characteristics of aging, in a mouse model. The results showed that when a mutation leading to mitochondrial dysfunction is induced, the mouse develops wrinkled skin and extensive and visible hair loss within a few weeks.

However, when mitochondrial function is restored by extinguishing the gene responsible for its dysfunction, the mouse returns to the smooth skin and thick fur, indistinguishable from a healthy mouse of the same age.

According to the study authors, the decline in mitochondrial function in humans is seen during aging, and may lead "This mouse model should provide an unprecedented opportunity for the development of preventive development strategies and therapeutic drugs to increase mitochondrial functions for the treatment of skin and capillary pathology badociated with aging and other human diseases in which mitochondrial dysfunction plays an important role. "said Keshav Singh, a professor at University of Alabama in Birmingham, United States.

For the study, published in the journal Cell Death & Disease, the team added doxycycline – used to treat infections caused by bacteria and protozoa – to food or to the # 39, drinking water to induce the mutation responsible for the depletion of mitochondrial DNA. inactive.

They found that mice had gray hair, reduced hair density, hair loss, slow motion, and lethargy in four weeks. Wrinkled skin was observed four to eight weeks after induction of the mutation and skin wrinkles were more severe in females than in males.

Inversion of mutation restores mitochondrial function, as well as cutaneous and capillary pathology

changes were observed in other organs when the mutation was induced, suggesting an important role of mitochondria in the skin compared to other tissues.

"This suggests that the epigenetic mechanisms underlying the nuclear mitochondria play an important role in the restoration of the normal skin and hair phenotype," said Singh.

(With IANS entries)