Inhibiting Protein Glycation as an Approach to Reduce the Contribution of AGEs to Aging

In today's open access paper, researchers propose the use of sodium 4-phenylbutyrate to inhibit protein glycation, reducing the creation of advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) in the body, and thus limit the contribution of this class of compounds to aging and disease. AGEs are quite varied and comparatively poorly studied; it is still the case that new ones are being found, and there is considerable room for debate on which AGEs are more or less important to aging and outcomes of metabolic diseases such as diabetes. Short-lived AGEs, easily broken down, are inflammatory via the receptor for AGEs (RAGE), and this may be their primary contribution to aging and disease. Persistent AGEs, on the other hand, can form lasting cross-links that stiffen tissues such as blood vessel walls, causing conditions such as hypertension. In studies like the one noted below, it is usually quite unclear as to whether or not a useful range of AGEs are being inhibited. In other words, whether the approach is better applied to treating metabolic disorders, to lower the large amounts of short-lived AGEs that are causing inflammation, or whether it might help to slow the progressive accumulation of cross-links with age. Further, the AGEs relevant to aging and disease are thought (and in some cases shown) to be different between mammalian species. This has been quite problematic in past attempts to produce drugs that can break down AGEs in order to produce therapeutic benefit. For example, th...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs