Rapamycin Does Not Interact Favorably with Growth Hormone Receptor Knockout

The scientific community is, on the whole, very focused on exploring the effects and understanding the mechanisms of single interventions. Studies that investigate potential synergies between two or more interventions are comparatively rare. This need not be the case; it seems to be a cultural thing, a product of many various influences on funding, planning, and development. There are numerous well-established methods of slowing aging in mice, and it would be interesting to learn how they interact, whether they stack or not, even though these are largely not useful roads to greatly enhanced human longevity. Accordingly, here is one of the rare studies to examine the combined effect on life span of two interventions at once. In this case it is found that they work against one another, which at least has the potential to extend our understanding of the biochemistry of both. Mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) plays central roles in growth, metabolism, and aging. It acts via two distinct complexes: mTORC1 and mTORC2, defined by Raptor and Rictor, respectively. Rapamycin, an inhibitor of mTOR, inhibits mTORC1, and longer rapamycin treatment also inhibits mTORC2. Rapamycin was the first drug shown to extend longevity in a mammal. The effects of rapamycin on longevity were accounted for by mTORC1 inhibition, whereas information on mTORC2 is generally lacking. However, it seems that many of the negative adverse effects of rapamycin treatment are mediated by inhibition of...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs