Transfusing young blood into the body to reverse the effects of aging seems to be vampires’ therapy to stay young.
Now, a team of researchers from the University of Pittsburgh has discovered that the blood of the young could be the secret to reverse some of the effects of aging.
Researchers identified a specific component of young blood called extracellular vesicles (EV) responsible for maintaining muscle cells, send instructions for a longevity protein called “Klotho” to muscle cells. These blood cells or EVs become weaker with time and send less and fewer instructions for protein consequently.
As we age, many cellular repair functions lose their effectiveness which leads to declining health and physical strength which is associated with old age. But the new mechanism that has been uncovered can improve muscle repair function, prevent memory loss and other age-related issues in the brain.
“We wondered if extracellular vesicles might contribute to muscle regeneration because these couriers travel between cells via the blood and other bodily fluids,” says Amrita Sahu, lead author of the study. “Like a message in a bottle, EVs deliver information to target cells.”
Tests in mice found greater muscle regeneration capacity, ability to recognize sounds, re-growing larger muscle fibers, and gaining more strength.
More research is needed before we can expect anti-aging treatments, but this research has proved that Dracula was right all along.
