It doesn’t extend life but could help people stay healthier for longer, according to a new study.
New research from the University of Exeter, supported by the US Army and The United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation, demonstrates that administering minuscule quantities of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) to particular cellular regions in adult worms with an H2S-releasing compound known as AP39, significantly enhanced their health and activity levels as they grew older.
The research findings, published in PNAS, suggest Hydrogen Sulfide Therapy, specifically targeting cellular energy factories or mitochondria, as a future treatment for healthy aging.
What is the role of Hydrogen Sulfide in aging?
In their study, the research group administered AP39 to worms from birth and to others upon reaching maturity. The team discovered that this compound helped maintain the structural integrity of mitochondria – the energy-producing structures within our cells, keeping the worms’ muscular systems active and mobile, even into advanced age, and when administered mid-life.
Several conditions related to aging are associated with mitochondrial functionality loss, including natural aging, neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, muscular dystrophy, and primary mitochondrial diseases.
Additionally, the research team identified a set of proteins that control gene expression in aging (transcription factors), which are specifically targeted by H2S. This finding could provide new therapeutic targets for aging and age-related conditions, especially those impacting muscle health.
The lead researcher, Professor Tim Etheridge, of the University of Exeter, remarked, “Worms are a powerful genetic tool to study human health and disease and offer a strong platform to quickly identify new potential therapeutics. Diseases related to ageing take a huge toll on society. Our results indicate that H2S, administered to specific parts of the cell in tiny quantities, could one day be used to help people live healthier for longer.”
Earlier research by the team had demonstrated that they could successfully target skeletal muscle in worms with H2S, marking this as the first instance of using this technique in natural aging.
The University of Exeter has transferred this groundbreaking technology to its spin-off, MitoRx Therapeutics, which has developed advanced compounds exhibiting superior drug characteristics as potential medicines to tackle age-related diseases, including neurodegenerative conditions like Huntington’s disease, as well as rare childhood diseases like muscular dystrophy.
Co-researcher Professor Matt Whiteman, from the University of Exeter, emphasized that “This study is not about extending life – it’s about living healthier lives well into older age. This could have huge benefits to society. We’re excited to see this research move to the next stages over the coming years, and hope it will one day form the basis of new treatments which we have the potential to develop with MitoRx.”
The team observed a minor lifespan extension in worms targeted with H2S, and importantly, an extension of their healthy lifespan. Although these worms still died, they lived an active life with youthful physiology until a later-than-usual age.
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