Research Shows Cell Aging Can be Slowed by Oxidants
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Research Shows Cell Aging Can Be Slowed by Oxidants:
At high concentrations, reactive oxygen species - known as oxidants - are harmful to cells in all organisms and have been linked to aging. But a study from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, has now shown that low levels of the oxidant hydrogen peroxide can stimulate an enzyme that helps slow down the aging of yeast cells.
One benefit of antioxidants, such as vitamins C and E, is that they neutralize reactive oxygen species - known as oxidants - which may otherwise react with important molecules in the body and destroy their biological functions. Larger amounts of oxidants can cause serious damage to DNA, cell membranes, and proteins for example. Our cells have therefore developed powerful defense mechanisms to get rid of these oxidants, which are formed in our normal metabolism.
It was previously believed that oxidants were only harmful, but recently we have begun to understand that they also have positive functions. Now, the new research from Chalmers University of Technology shows that the well-known oxidant hydrogen peroxide can actually slow down the aging of yeast cells. Hydrogen peroxide is a chemical used for hair and tooth whitening, among other things. It is also one of the oxidants formed in our metabolism that is harmful at higher concentrations.
The Chalmers researchers studied the enzyme Tsa1, which is part of a group of antioxidants called peroxiredoxins.
Previous studies of these enzymes have shown that they participate in yeast cells' defenses against harmful oxidants," says Mikael Molin, who leads the research group at Chalmers' Department of Biology and Biological Engineering. But the peroxiredoxins also help extend the life span of cells when they are subjected to calorie restriction. The mechanisms behind these functions have not yet been fully understood."
Journal Reference:
Friederike Roger, Cecilia Picazo, Wolfgang Reiter, et al. Peroxiredoxin promotes longevity and H2O2-resistance in yeast through redox-modulation of protein kinase A, eLife (DOI: 10.7554/eLife.60346)
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