Klotho Shields the Brain from the Peripheral Immune System, but Declines with Age

Klotho is one of a number of well-known longevity-associated genes. The amount of klotho observed in tissues declines steadily with advancing age. Interventions that increase levels of klotho have been shown to slow measures of aging to some degree in animal studies. Beyond life span, klotho is also strongly associated with cognitive function. More klotho is better in this case as well. Artificially raised levels of klotho might one day be used as a form of enhancement therapy, capable of improving cognitive function even in younger people. In the research noted here, scientists uncover one of the mechanisms linking falling levels of klotho to the impact of aging on the brain. Klotho helps to protect the brain from the activities of the immune system in the rest of the body, and when that protection falters, chronic inflammation can result. Inflammation is important in near all forms of neurodegeneration. In the view of aging as an accumulation of molecular damage, loss of klotho is a downstream consequence of that damage. Finding ways to deliver klotho to older individuals, boosting the amount in circulation, may well help with this one narrow outcome resulting from rising levels of cell and tissue damage. It remains the case that it would be far more effective to repair the damage, and thus remove all of the varied downstream consequences. Curiously, within the brain, one structure contains vastly higher levels of klotho than all the others. This structure i...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs