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Published online 8 July 2009 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news.2009.648
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A pill for longer life?
A drug slows the march of time in middle-aged mice.
Rapamycin, a drug commonly used in humans to prevent transplanted organs from being rejected, has been found to extend the lives of mice by up to 14% — even when given to the mice late in life.
In flies and worms, drug treatments have been shown to prolong lifespan, but until now, the only robust way to extend life in mammals has been to heavily restrict diet.
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As resveraterol act as an agonist of sirtuin, will it be possible that rapamycin also works on it? it is well known that ROS is the main cause of aging by damaging the molecules of the cell, and do rapamycin have any effect on ROS?
"it is well known that ROS is the main cause of aging", sources?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free-radical_theory
Could there be any correlation between Rapamycin and telomerase? This enzyme has been implicated in aging. Dr. Jerry Shay of Southwestern Medical School is an expert in this area. Visit his URL to learn more about telomerase: http://www4.utsouthwestern.edu/cellbio/shay-wright/research/sw_research.html
This article makes me wonder whether anyone has surveyed the genomes of humans who live exceptionally long lives for mutations in the TOR pathway.
Rather than rapamycin working on Sirtuins, it is plausible that resveratrol induced Sirt1 mediates its effects through mTOR. Induction of Sirt1 by Resveratrol has been shown to induce AMPK activity which negatively regulates mTOR phosphorylation. Therefore, resveratrol induced Sirt1 should dampen mTOR activity and promote life-span, as does rapamycin in this article.
The life may not be so long. Sixty years seems to be enough, so why did people always want to live a long life, if long life can bring you more happiness or something else? So,just enjoy your own life, and keep a good mood, and in your limited life, you can do more good things for others.
Since mTOR is involved in cancer and is the target of at least one new drug, it is possible that inhibiting mTOR prolongs rodent life by preventing the most common cause of rodent death? It might be interesting to see if rapamycin, which may be perceived to increase cancer risk by dampening the immune system, could prevent cancer by inhibiting mTOR. However, I wouldn't risk the side effects.
Telomeres are shortening, biological clock is ticking. tick-tock-tick-tock. //So,just enjoy your own life, and keep a good mood// - let's abolish all drugs, for they unnaturally extend life too. Natural is to die sooner, and with more happy suffering.
Rapamycin has been given in cancer theraphy also aloong with some monoclonal antibodies. Cancer and ageing is at two differnt ends and i don't know whats the rational of rapamycin in ageing process and how its connected to calorie restriction and ageing?
Hmm... rapamycin to suppress your immune system... then extend life... then got infections, cancers, etc... and rapamycin to treat cancer... hmm....interesting. I am sure all dictators are reading into the science of aging. One day they shall be immortal.