Can aging be reversed?
A research team of 43 researchers based at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing and other universities found that Metformin, an inexpensive diabetes drug, slows aging in male monkeys, particularly in their brains.
The study found that the monkeys, that received metformin daily, exhibited neuronal activity and showed slower age-related brain decline— the incessant flicker of electrical currents and transmissions in the brain — which resembled that of monkeys six years younger (equivalent to around 18 human years), and the animals had enhanced cognition and preserved liver function.
Metformin is one of the most widely used drugs for treating type 2 diabetes.
It was first used for this purpose in France in the 1950s. It is a derivative of guanidine, a compound found in Goat’s Rue, which is an herbal medicine long used in Europe.
It is the second most prescribed medication in the United States.
The drug has long been known to have effects beyond treating diabetes, leading researchers to study it against conditions such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and aging
Over the years, several studies have shown that metformin slows aging in worms, rodents, and flies. However, the drug’s effectiveness against aging had not been tested directly in primates.
That is the reason why Guanghui Liu, a biologist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the primary author of the recent research, chose to experiment with the medication on monkeys.
Guanghui Liu and his colleagues gave metformin to 12 elderly male cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis). The control group comprised 16 elderly monkeys and 18 young or middle-aged animals.
The monkeys in the study were given a standard daily dose of metformin, the same dosage typically used to treat diabetes in humans. They continued taking the drug for a duration of 40 months.
During the study, researchers collected samples from 79 different types of tissues and organs in the monkeys, conducted brain imaging, and carried out regular physical examinations, as reported in the journal Nature.
The researchers analyzed the cellular activity in the collected samples and developed a computational model to determine the tissues' "biological age," which can either be younger or older than the animals' actual chronological age, according to the report.
The researchers discovered that metformin decelerated the biological aging process in various organs, including the lungs, kidneys, liver, skin, and the brain's frontal lobe. The medication also suppressed chronic inflammation, a significant indicator of aging.
The study revealed that metformin protects the brain by activating a protein called NRF2, which prevents cellular damage caused by injury and inflammation
Metformin has the potential to reverse the aging of organs in monkeys effectively.Guanghui Liu , Biologist, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Most quantitative, thorough examination of metformin action that I’ve seen beyond mice.Alex Soukas, Molecular Geneticist, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
The scientists say much more research will be required before metformin can be validated as an anti-aging compound in humans.
Soukas told Nature that he would prefer to see a study that involves more animals.
Liu and his colleagues have started a 120-person trial in collaboration with Merck, a biopharmaceutical company in Darmstadt, Germany, which developed and produced metformin, to test whether the drug slows aging in humans.
The trial will determine whether the drug can delay aging in humans.
Reference:
1. Yang, Yuanhan. “Metformin Decelerates Aging Clock in Male Monkeys: Cell.” https://www.cell.com/, September 12, 2024. https://www.cell.com/cell/abstract/S0092-8674(24)00914-0.
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