For years, scientists have searched for treatments that could slow aging and help people stay healthier for longer.
Among the most talked-about approaches is a drug combination known as dasatinib and quercetin, often shortened to D+Q. Researchers have studied this combination because it appears to remove old, damaged cells that accumulate in the body as people age. These aging cells are believed to contribute to inflammation and many age-related diseases.
Because of these findings, D+Q has attracted enormous attention in the field of longevity research. Scientists have investigated it for conditions ranging from type 2 diabetes to Alzheimer’s disease.
Outside research settings, some people interested in extending their lifespan have even experimented with the treatment on their own, despite the lack of approval for anti-aging use.
However, a new study from the University of Connecticut suggests that the story may be more complicated than many people expected.
The research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), found that the drug combination caused significant damage to myelin in mice. Myelin is a fatty protective coating that wraps around nerve fibers. It acts much like insulation around electrical wires, helping signals travel quickly and efficiently through the nervous system.
Without healthy myelin, communication between brain cells slows down and becomes less reliable. Myelin damage can contribute to symptoms such as numbness, pain, weakness, balance problems, memory difficulties, and trouble thinking clearly. Diseases such as multiple sclerosis are characterized by severe myelin loss.
The researchers originally hoped the drug combination might help repair damage associated with multiple sclerosis. To test this idea, they treated both younger and older mice with D+Q. They also studied oligodendrocytes, the specialized cells responsible for producing and maintaining myelin.
What they found was unexpected.
Instead of protecting myelin, the treatment significantly reduced it. Healthy mice normally have thick layers of myelin surrounding nerve fibers. After receiving the drug combination, the mice showed major losses of this protective coating. Surprisingly, younger mice appeared to suffer even greater damage than older mice.
The researchers also observed deterioration in the corpus callosum, an important structure that connects the two halves of the brain. This region plays a critical role in communication between different brain areas.
Damage in this part of the brain has sometimes been associated with cognitive problems experienced by some cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, often referred to as “chemo brain.”
When scientists examined the affected cells more closely, they found another surprising result. The oligodendrocytes had not died. Instead, they seemed to revert to a more immature state. The cells looked younger but were less capable of performing their normal functions.
Researchers suspect the drug combination may interfere with the cells’ energy supply. Faced with this stress, the cells appear to simplify themselves and lose some of the features needed to maintain healthy myelin.
Interestingly, these altered cells closely resembled unusual cell populations previously observed in people with multiple sclerosis. This connection could provide valuable insights into how certain neurological diseases develop.
The findings raise important questions about the safety of using D+Q as an anti-aging treatment. Although the drugs may offer benefits in some situations, the study highlights the possibility that they could also produce unintended effects on the nervous system.
At the same time, the research may open new opportunities. Because the affected cells did not die, researchers believe they may still have the ability to recover. Understanding how these cells change and whether they can be restored could help scientists develop future treatments for multiple sclerosis and other disorders involving myelin damage.
Source: University of Connecticut.
