Manipulating cell proteins may defer ageing

California, United States, January 12: Youthful, wrinkle-free skin and prolonged lifespan may now be achievable by just playing around with the body's chemicals.

According to Stanford University researchers, who claim to have identified the chemical processes, which regulate the lifespan of cells in the body, on manipulating the availability of the cells can defer or ease the ageing process.

Researchers explained that two such connected chemicals are identified, which, if influenced can control ageing and even extend life. The team believes that ageing of body and skin is not due to steady collapse of cells, but rather a premeditated and vigorous process by the body.

While protein 'NF Kappa B' promotes the cellular ageing and degeneration, protein 'SIRT6' has properties to defend it.

Researchers say that controlling the relative availability of these proteins in the body can slow down ageing, appearance of wrinkles and increase longevity. The two proteins have powerful effect over each other and directly influence ageing.

The study says that all individuals have these substances in their bodies mixed up in varying proportions, which explains how some people live long naturally.

Study lead, Prof. Howard Chang, said, "There is a genetic process that has to be on, and enforced, in order for ageing to happen."

"It's possible that those rare individuals who live beyond 100 years have a less-efficient version of this master pathway, just as children with progeria – a genetic ageing disease – may have components of this pathway that are more active," added Chang.

Researchers involved two groups of mice for this study– one group had protein SIRT6 deficiency and second group had aged mice which were engineered to have obstructed NF Kappa B activity.

Rise in the amount of NF Kappa B was observed in the first group, due to which they aged faster and died eventually, while the other group was found active and young over the study period when NF Kappa B was suppressed.

"It seems that an important job of SIRT6 is to restrain NF Kappa B and limit the expression of genesdefine associated with ageing," said Dr Chang.

The study published in the recent edition of journal 'Cell', infers that the SIRT6 and NF Kappa B may aid in suitable cellular ageing with their mutual efforts.