Portuguese 
English 
Spanish 
4 min of reading 
0 comments 
Study with naked mole-rats revealed that a gene linked to longevity managed to increase the survival of mice and reduce diseases associated with aging, reinforcing research that seeks to extend healthy lifespan and decrease inflammatory processes related to old age.
Scientists from the University of Rochester, in the United States, managed to transfer to mice a gene associated with the longevity of naked mole-rats, African rodents capable of living up to 41 years and known for their low incidence of cancer.
The study, published in the journal Nature, recorded improvements in the health of the modified animals and an approximate increase of 4.4% in median survival.
The research focused on the Has2 gene of naked mole-rats, linked to the production of high molecular weight hyaluronic acid, called HMW-HA.
-
Trump announces that China agreed to buy 200 Boeing jets during a visit to Beijing
-
Silent shift gains national scale: LEO satellite network could move R$ 89 billion in the Brazilian GDP by 2035 and accelerate digital inclusion in isolated regions, transforming infrastructure, productivity, and technological access on a large scale.
-
The end of the pen drive: understand why they are disappearing and discover the best alternatives that already offer up to 5 TB in the cloud, much higher speeds than traditional USBs, and full compatibility with modern laptops and cell phones.
-
Serra da Chapadinha, known as the water reservoir of Bahia, becomes the center of an environmental dispute for supplying the Paraguaçu River, influencing the water supply of Salvador, and containing preserved areas under pressure from mining, land grabbing, and the expansion of farms in Chapada Diamantina.
This substance had already been pointed out in previous studies as one of the factors related to the unusual resistance of these animals against tumors and diseases associated with aging.
By inserting the version of the naked mole-rat gene into mice, the researchers observed an increase in the production of HMW-HA in different tissues.
The genetically modified animals developed fewer spontaneous tumors, showed greater protection against lab-induced skin cancer, and had less inflammation in organs affected by aging.
Naked mole-rat gene increases longevity in mice
The team led by Vera Gorbunova and Andrei Seluanov sought to test if a natural mechanism of a very long-lived species could work in another mammal.
The result was treated by scientists as a proof of principle, not as a ready therapy for humans.
Naked mole-rats are similar in size to mice but live almost ten times longer than rodents of similar size.
Moreover, they age with a lower frequency of cardiovascular diseases, arthritis, neurodegeneration, and cancer, characteristics that have made the species a recurring target of longevity research.
In the modified mice, HMW-HA was also associated with the improvement of the intestinal barrier throughout life.
According to researchers, this effect may help explain the reduction of chronic inflammations, a common process in older animals and linked to various diseases.
Hyaluronic acid appears as a central piece of the research
Hyaluronic acid is a molecule present in mammals, including humans.
The difference observed in naked mole rats is in the quantity and molecular size of the substance, as these rodents accumulate about ten times more HMW-HA than mice and humans.
Previous research in the same line of investigation showed that when HMW-HA was removed from naked mole rat cells, these cells became more prone to tumor formation.
The new phase sought to verify if the reverse path, that is, increasing this molecule in another animal, could bring similar benefits.
The results indicated that the protection does not depend solely on the presence of the transferred gene, but on the biological effects of HMW-HA in the organism.
Among them are the regulation of the immune system, the reduction of damage linked to oxidative stress, and the preservation of intestinal health during aging.
Scientists investigate future application in humans
Despite the positive results in mice, scientists do not claim that the technique can be directly applied to people.
The genetic transfer done in the laboratory involves a controlled animal model and does not equate to an available treatment against human aging.
The team is now investigating two possible strategies: stimulating the production of HMW-HA in the body or reducing its natural degradation.
Seluanov stated, in material released by the University of Rochester, that molecules capable of slowing down the degradation of hyaluronan have already been identified and are in preclinical tests.
This type of stage still precedes clinical studies in humans.
Therefore, the discovery should be understood as an experimental advance in understanding longevity, especially in the field of so-called healthspan, an expression used to describe the period of life with good health.
Long-lived animals help science study aging
The scientific interest in long-lived animals has grown because some species seem to better resist biological processes that, in humans, are linked to aging and chronic diseases.
Whales, elephants, and naked mole-rats are frequent examples in studies on cell repair, cancer, and tissue maintenance.
In the case of naked mole-rats, the combination of extreme longevity for their size, low incidence of cancer, and resistance to degenerative diseases offers a rare opportunity for comparison with other mammals.
Still, each mechanism needs to be tested in isolation before any biomedical application.
The research from the University of Rochester reinforces that natural adaptations of long-lived species can guide new paths against age-associated diseases.
For now, the finding shows that an evolved mechanism in an African rodent can improve the health of mice, but it does not demonstrate that the same effect will occur in humans.
Be the first to react!