(Health Korea News / Yu Ji-in) A new anti-aging effect of a previously known drug has been discovered. There is hope that strengthening the protein balance within the body can lead to the development of effective treatments for geriatric diseases such as dementia and Parkinson’s disease.
The research team of Professor Lee Byeong-hun from DGIST and Professor Hyun Seo-kang from Chung-Ang University have elucidated in detail the process by which inhibition of specific enzyme activity using drugs strengthens intracellular protein homeostasis, improves muscle weakness due to aging, and extends the lifespan of an individual.
A decline in protein homeostasis is one of the representative characteristics of aging, and when protein aggregates that are harmful to cells are not properly decomposed, cell function declines and aging accelerates. Proteins that have reached the end of their lifespan or are damaged are mainly decomposed through the ‘ubiquitin-proteasome system’ and ‘autophagy’ to maintain homeostasis.
The ubiquitin-proteasome system is an important device that decomposes proteins present in the cytoplasm, and the proteasome is responsible for maintaining cellular homeostasis by removing damaged or unnecessary proteins. Autophagy is a phenomenon that decomposes and recycles unnecessary components within the cell to regenerate the cell. Research is actively being conducted to elucidate the protein decomposition mechanism within this system to overcome aging and incurable diseases.
The research team demonstrated that drugs that regulate the ubiquitin-proteasome system can also activate autophagy. When the activity of USP14, a component of the proteasome complex, was inhibited with a drug called IU1, the proteasome, which removes unnecessary proteins, was activated.
Along with this, it was discovered that the autophagy phenomenon was simultaneously enhanced, and it was also revealed that proteasome activity is absolutely necessary for promoting autophagy activity. This mechanism of action of the IU1 drug was commonly found not only in human cells but also in fruit fly animal models, confirming that it can extend the lifespan of fruit flies and improve muscle weakness due to aging.
Furthermore, the drug was observed to be more effective in aging model fruit flies in which protein homeostasis is impaired.
Professor Hyun Seo-kang said, “A decrease in protein homeostasis is one of the main characteristics of degenerative diseases such as senile dementia and Parkinson’s disease,” and added, “The results of this study are expected to serve as a foundation for the development of treatment technologies for various geriatric diseases, including anti-aging.”
The results of this study, which was conducted with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Research Foundation of Korea for mid-career research, were published on August 15 in the international academic journal in the field of cell biology, ‘Autophagy.’
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