Hormonal Coupling Identified That Incites Inflammatory Rage and Ages the Brain
Source: Vladimir Soares on Unsplash
January 22, 2021
2 (PGE
2) signaling in immune cells as a key proinflammatory trigger that can be targeted to pacify unwanted inflammation and rejuvenate brain metabolism.
“Aging is not a static or irrevocable condition but can be reversed by reprogramming myeloid glucose metabolism to restore youthful immune functions,” the authors noted in
Nature.
If these experiments performed in aged mice and in human cell cultures can be replicated in humans, they will pave the way for new pharmaceuticals that recover mental abilities in older individuals.
That aging is egged on by inflammation is a long-standing theory in biology. Consequently, a therapeutic approach adopted to treat age-related pathologies such as heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, frailty, and the loss of mental acuity, has been to somehow quash inflammation. A challenge in this approach, however, has been a lack of know-how on the exact trigger that kicks specific immune cells into inflammatory overdrive.