The Secret of Youth: Study Reveals Key to Slowing Aging

A recent American study conducted on mice has revealed a mechanism that may help explain part of the body’s aging process, suggesting that enhancing the immune system’s ability to clear damaged cells could help reduce inflammation and preserve organ function as people age.

The study was conducted by a team from Stanford University in the United States, and its findings were published in the journal Science. It focused on neutrophils, which are short-lived immune cells, and resident macrophages in tissues, which are responsible for clearing damaged cells.

Researchers found that a cellular receptor known as EP2 becomes more active with age, weakening the ability of macrophages to clear old neutrophils. These neutrophils can accumulate, causing inflammation and tissue damage.

When researchers disabled the EP2 receptor using drugs and genetic modifications, macrophages regained some of their efficiency. Older mice showed indicators more similar to those of younger mice, with improvements in memory, muscle function, and heart function, as well as reduced frailty.

Scientists also found that disabling EP2 restored the levels of 59 out of 71 proteins that change with age to levels closer to those seen in young mice, with the liver playing a prominent role in these changes.

However, researchers emphasize that the results are still in their early stages and do not indicate the existence of a current treatment for aging, as the effectiveness and safety of targeting EP2 in humans have not yet been proven.

Scientists hope that this discovery will eventually help develop treatments that slow down some aspects of aging and maintain organ health for longer.