Rapamycin Slows Age-Related Periodontitis in Mice

The mTOR inhibitor rapamycin slows the progression of aging in mice. The may largely be a result of upregulated autophagy, as is the case for many other means of slowing aging in short-lived species, including calorie restriction. If an intervention slows aging generally, the odds are fairly good that any specific aspect of aging will also be slowed. Here, researchers show that rapamycin treatment improves the outlook for age-related periodontitis in mice. Periodontal disease, also known as gum disease, is a common problem in older adults that causes painful inflammation, bone loss, and changes in the good bacteria that live in the mouth. Yet there are no treatments available beyond tooth removal and/or having good oral hygiene. Rapamycin is an immune-suppressing drug currently used to prevent organ rejection in transplant recipients. Previous studies in mice have also suggested that it may have life-extending effects, which has led to interest in studying the drug's effects in many age-related diseases. To find out if rapamycin might slow periodontal disease, researchers added the drug to the food of middle-aged mice for eight weeks and compared their oral health with untreated mice of the same age. Similar to humans, mice also experience bone loss, inflammation, and shifts in oral bacteria as they age. Using a 3D-imaging technique called micro-computed tomography, the team measured the periodontal bone, or bone around the tooth, of the rapamycin-treated and ...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs