X-Message-Number: 30628
Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2008 22:43:05 -0800 (PST)
From: 
Subject: glycerol slows aging?

Biogerontology. 2008 Mar 15 [Epub ahead of print]
Glycerol stimulates innate chaperoning, proteasomal and stress-resistance
functions: implications for geronto-manipulation.
  Deocaris CC, Takano S, Priyandoko D, Kaul Z, Yaguchi T, Kraft DC, Yamasaki
K, Kaul SC, Wadhwa R. National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science &
Technology (AIST),  Central 4, 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba, 305 8562, Japan,
  Aging is associated with accumulation of toxic intracellular and
extracellular protein aggregates. Cells manage "aged" proteins by mobilizing
their molecular chaperones or heat shock proteins that are also considered
as determinants of lifespan in diverse species. In this study, we tested
whether an exogenous addition of the non-toxic chemical chaperone 'glycerol'
could elicit stress and geronto-protective activities. We found that
glycerol enhanced chaperoning of heat-denatured proteins. In addition to
stimulating proteasome activity, glycerol led to an increased expression of
the stress chaperone 'mortalin' and decreased p53 function in human cells.
Glycerol-fed worms exhibited thermo-tolerance and lower level of
age-associated auto-fluorescence. Through the combined stimulation of the
proteasome and chaperoning activities of mortalin, in particular, glycerol
treatment resulted in increased survival and fitness against oxidative- and
heat-stress. These results may have significant implications in the use of
glycerol as a candidate geronto-modulator in development of practical
interventions for "healthy aging".
PMID: 18344010

Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=30628