ファーマシューティカ アナリティカ アクタ

概要

Development of Novel Anti-aging Drugs

Fumiaki Uchiumi, Takahiro Oyama, Kensuke Ozaki and Sei-ichi Tanuma

It has been thought that cellular senescence is regulated by the total amount of damage to chromosomes, including telomeric regions. Another explanation is that cellular senescence is attributed to oxidative stresses mainly generated in mitochondria. At present, several compounds, such as 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) and trans- Resveratrol (Rsv), are expected to be used as anti-aging drugs for extending life-span. Our previous study indicated that promoter activities of the telomere-maintenance factor-encoding genes are activated by both compounds. The mechanism might be implicated in the concept of hormesis - that the application of low doses of toxic substrates strengthens DNA-repair system. Effective anti-aging drugs could be found by screening compounds that up-regulate expression of the telomere associated genes.