As people live longer, the challenges of aging—such as physical decline and frailty—become more significant.
Finding ways to slow down aging could bring enormous health, social, and economic benefits.
A recent study from Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore, published in the journal Nature, has identified a protein called interleukin-11 (IL-11) as a key driver of aging.
This discovery could pave the way for new treatments to help people live healthier, longer lives.
The research team found that IL-11 promotes aging by increasing fat accumulation and reducing muscle mass and strength, both of which are common signs of aging.
They also showed that using an anti-IL-11 therapy in preclinical models not only counteracted these negative effects but also increased lifespan.
The study began in 2017 when Assistant Professor Anissa Widjaja, the first and co-corresponding author, noticed high levels of IL-11 in tissue samples from aging organs. This finding sparked excitement and led the team to explore IL-11’s role in aging further.
In their preclinical studies, the researchers discovered that as organs aged, they produced more IL-11. This increase led to fat buildup in the liver and abdomen and a decrease in muscle mass and strength. These findings are the first to demonstrate that IL-11 is a major factor in aging.
To counteract the effects of IL-11, the team applied an anti-IL-11 therapy. This treatment improved metabolism, shifting it from generating harmful white fat to beneficial brown fat.
Brown fat helps break down blood sugar and fat molecules to maintain body temperature and burn calories. The therapy also enhanced muscle function, overall health, and increased lifespan by up to 25% in both sexes.
Unlike other drugs that target specific aging pathways, such as metformin and rapamycin, anti-IL-11 therapy blocks multiple major signaling mechanisms that become dysfunctional with age. This comprehensive approach offers protection against various age-related issues, including cardiometabolic diseases, muscle loss, and frailty. Additionally, the therapy reduced telomere shortening rates and preserved the health and energy-generating capacity of mitochondria.
Stuart Cook, the senior author and a professor at Duke-NUS, expressed hope that anti-IL-11 therapy will one day be widely used to help people live healthier lives for longer. However, he acknowledged the challenges in gaining approval and funding for clinical trials focused on aging.
Professor Thomas Coffman, Dean of Duke-NUS, emphasized the potential impact of this discovery, especially for rapidly aging societies like Singapore. The ability to prolong healthy aging could reduce frailty, lower the risk of falls, and improve cardiometabolic health.
The research builds on the team’s previous work on IL-11’s role in the heart, kidney, liver, and lung. The Duke-NUS team collaborated with scientists from the National Heart Center Singapore, the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences in the UK, the Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine in Germany, and the University of Melbourne in Australia.
This breakthrough offers a promising new avenue for combating the effects of aging and improving the quality of life for millions of people worldwide.
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