It turns out that a certain vitamin may actually stop the aging of organs. Scientists have found that nicotinamide riboside (NR) can help with restorative efforts.
The regenerative capacity of certain organs and muscles diminishes as animals age. More specifically, they are less able to repair themselves over time, which can lead to many disorders that are typical of aging.
In this latest study, the researchers wanted to look at how the regeneration process deteriorated with age. They used several markers to identify the molecular chain that regulates how mitochondria function and how they change with age. More specifically, the researchers found that their ability to function properly is important for stem cells.
Under normal conditions, stem cells react to signals sent by the body and regenerate damaged organs by producing new specific cells. However, as stem cells fatigue, the ability to regenerate decreases.
This, in particular, is why researchers wanted to "revitalize" stem cells in the muscles of elderly mice. The researchers accomplished this in the new study by precisely targeting the molecules that help mitochondria function properly.
"We gave nicotinamide riboside to 2-year-old mice, which is an advanced age for them," said Hongbo Zhang of EPFL's Laboratory of Integrated Systems Physiology and one of the researchers involved in the study. "This substance, which is close to vitamin B3, is a precursor of NAD+, a molecule that plays a key role in mitochondrial activity. And our results are extremely promising: muscular regeneration is much better in mice that received NR, and they lived longer than the mice that didn't get it."
The researchers have so far seen no negative side effects following the use of NR, even at high doses. This could be huge when it comes to treatments for human patients.
With that said, the researchers plan to use caution. Because it appears to boost the functioning of all cells, this could also include pathological ones. The scientists currently hope to conduct further, in-depth studies to see exactly what effects NR treatments may have on all types of different cells in the body.
The findings were published in the April 28 issue of the journal Science.
