Common drug could slow down ageing and extend your life
We’re all living longer, and while this is a good thing, ageing can bring on many illnesses. But with most of us leaving our later years for retirement, wouldn't it be ideal if we could still be fit and healthy during this time? So, how can we slow down ageing? We look towards the worms... (Picture: Getty)
A study has discovered that the popular drug for hypertension, rilmenidine, has been shown to slow down ageing in worms. If used on humans, it could hypothetically help us live longer and keep us healthier in our later years. A team led by molecular biogerontologist Professor João Pedro Magalhães at the University of Birmingham, UK, made the discovery – but how? (Picture: Getty)
What did the researchers do?
The researchers fed worms, specifically Caenorhabditis elegans, the drug. They treated both young and older worms and looked at the effect it had. Previous research revealed that rilmenidine mimics the effects of caloric restriction on a cellular level. Currently, a calorie-restricted diet has been considered the best way to slow down ageing and promote longevity, but the research on this has been inconclusive, whilst also being linked to various side effects such as hair thinning, dizziness, and brittle bones (Picture: Getty)
What did they find?
The researchers found that both younger and older worms treated with rilmenidine lived longer and presented higher measures in a variety of health markers, in the same way that restricting calories does. They also found that older worms benefited almost as much as young worms, suggesting that humans would not need to start treatment in middle age. However, despite C. elegans sharing many genes with humans, researchers need data from mammals before moving on to people (Picture: Getty)
They also tried treating mice with the drug, and observed gene activity associated with caloric restriction in the kidney and liver tissues of mice treated with rilmenidine. They found that a biological signalling receptor called nish-1 was crucial in the effectiveness of rilmenidine, suggesting that chemical structure could be targeted in future attempts to improve lifespan and slow down ageing (Picture: Getty)
Professor Magalhães said: ‘With a global ageing population, the benefits of delaying ageing, even if slightly, are immense. Repurposing drugs capable of extending lifespan and healthspan has a huge untapped potential in translational geroscience. For the first time, we have been able to show in animals that rilmenidine can increase lifespan. We are now keen to explore if rilmenidine may have other clinical applications’ (Picture: Getty)
Does rilmenidine have any side effects?
Rilmenidine is a promising candidate as an anti-ageing drug as it can be taken orally, it is already prescribed widely and its side effects are rare and relatively mild (they include palpitations, insomnia, and drowsiness in a few cases). However, before it can be used as an anti-ageing drug for humans, more trials need to be conducted (Picture: Getty)
