Reversing the ravages of time

SCIENTISTS have found a way to reverse the action of wrinkled skin and hair loss, which are considered the hallmarks of ageing, in a mouse model.

The findings showed that when a mutation leading to mitochondrial dysfunction is induced, the mouse develops wrinkled skin and extensive, visible hair loss in a matter of weeks.

However, when the mitochondrial function is restored by turning off the gene responsible for its dysfunction, the mouse returns to smooth skin and thick fur, indistinguishable from a healthy mouse of the same age.

According to the study authors, the decline in mitochondrial function among humans is seen during ageing, and can drive age-related diseases.

“This mouse model should provide an unprecedented opportunity for the development of preventive and therapeutic drug development strategies,” said Keshav Singh, Professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, US.

For the study, published in the journal Cell Death & Disease, the team added antibiotic doxycycline – used to treat infections caused by bacteria and protozoa – to food or drinking water to induce the mutation which caused depletion of mitochondrial DNA.

They found that the mice showed grey hair, reduced hair density, hair loss, slowed movements and lethargy in four weeks.

Wrinkled skin was seen four to eight weeks after induction of the mutation.

Reversal of the mutation restored mitochondrial function, as well as the skin and hair pathology.

However, little change was seen in other organs when the mutation was induced. – IANS