New study results: bone marrow transplant can slow aging
The other day a new article appeared on the network , the authors of which talk about the results of their research. As part of this work, scientists transplanted the bone marrow of young mice to older individuals.
As it turned out, after transplantation in older animals, memory and general cognitive abilities improved. The comparison was carried out on the control group of mice, consisting of mice of a similar age, which were not subjected to any modifications.
In mice with transplanted bone marrow, the protection of brain cells improved, their degradation stopped. The axons of brain neurons that appeared after transplantation were longer than those of nerve cells that developed before transplantation.
Thus, the networks of neurons became more branched, which influenced the function of the brain. Modified animals performed better on cognitive tests than mice in the control group.
Further experiments showed a possible cause of what is happening. Blood cells produced by young bone marrow reduce the activation of microglia , a specific type of immune cell in the brain. Microglia maintains the health of neurons, but with age can become overactive and participate in the separation of synapses. With less overactive microglia, the neurons will remain healthy and more synapses will survive.
“Although previous studies have shown that blood transfusions from young mice to old ones improved the cognitive abilities of the latter, few could explain why this is happening,” said Helen Goodridge, a specialist at Sedars-Sinai Medical Center. “Our study suggests that the reason lies in the specific properties of young blood cells.”
The big “but”
Blood transfusion from young people to the elderly is a practice that is hundreds of years old. And as far as we know, the rejuvenation procedure has no particularly obvious positive results.
Not so long ago, the Ambrosia Health Clinic was closed , which was engaged in transfusion of blood from boys and girls to elderly people. As far as we know, patients were dissatisfied with the work of the institution, since there were no results.
Scientists do not have data that can testify to the fact that what is happening with the mice will be repeated in the case of experiments involving humans. And in order to receive confirmation or refutation, bone marrow transplantation from young is necessary for the elderly, and for such an operation it is still necessary to obtain permission, which is not easy.
The experts who conducted the study believe that experiments should be continued. “We live in a time when the population of people is gradually aging, the average age is increasing. Accordingly, there are more cases of Alzheimer's disease. Our work shows that cognitive abilities can be improved, ”said the study leader.
Scientists hope to solve the problem with bone marrow transplantation by creating specialized stem cells that will replace the "old" cells in the bone marrow. As a result, the bone marrow is rejuvenated and, possibly, this will lead to an improvement in the cognitive abilities of older people.
