Rilmenidine is an antihypertensive drug that may slow aging, according to a worm study. In humans, experts say this drug could help us live longer and healthier lives in our later years.
Rilmenidine was chosen for this study because previous research has shown that it mimics the effects of calorie restriction at the cellular level, he writes Science Alert.
Reducing available energy while maintaining nutrition in the body is a life-prolonging process, according to several animal studies.
A common drug that treats high blood pressure would extend life
At this time, there are no studies that have looked at whether rilmenidine has the same longevity effect in human biology. Experts want more research to determine what process rilmenidine might have. This is a common drug that treats hypertension, at the level of human longevity.
The latest study was conducted by an international team of experts. They used young and old specimens of Caenorhabditis elegans. Worms that were treated with this drug lived longer. In addition, they had the same level of health markers seen with calorie restriction, as the experts had hoped.
“For the first time, we were able to show, in animals, that rilmenidine can increase lifespan,” said João Pedro Magalhães. He is an expert at the University of Birmingham, UK. “We also want to see if rilmenidine can be used in other situations as well.”
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C. elegans worms are often used in studies. They have many genes that resemble elements in the human genome. Despite these similarities, there is a notable difference between these invertebrates and humans, on a biological level.
Other tests showed that gene activity associated with calorie restriction was also seen in the kidney and liver tissue of mice that were treated with rilmenidine, a common drug that treats hypertension.
In addition, experts believe that this treatment also has certain health benefits. Given the fact that many people already take this drug, if the same process will be observed in our case, it is possible to create a new treatment aimed at longevity, experts say.
The effectiveness of rilmenidine depends on a receptor
In this study, the experts also discovered that a receptor called nish-1 plays a very important role in the effectiveness of this drug. This specific chemical could be studied in the future to increase longevity and slow aging.
“We found that the longevity effects of rilmenidine disappeared when nish-1 was deleted,” the experts wrote in the study published in the journal Aging Cell, about a common drug that treats hypertension. “Rescue of the nish-1 receptor again led to increased longevity following rilmenidine treatment.”
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Low-calorie diets are difficult to follow and have numerous side effects. These include hair loss, dizziness and weight loss. Such a process can also have health benefits. Experts hope that this drug will provide the same benefits without the negative side effects.
Rilmenidine can be taken orally and is available in many pharmacies worldwide. Its side effects are rare. These include palpitations and insomnia, among others.
It remains to be seen whether rilmenidine can have this longevity effect in humans as well.
2023-07-10 09:45:35
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