The rilmenidina could slow down the aging process and extend life expectancy.
The basic drug for hypertension rilmenidine has proven to slow down aging in worms, an effect that could also be replicated in humans. Rilmenidine was chosen for this latest study because past research had already shown that mimics the effects of calorie restriction at the cellular level. In a series of tests conducted by an international team of researchers, young and old Caenorhabditis elegans worms treated with the drug, normally used to treat hypertension, lived longer and were in better health. “For the first time, we were able to demonstrate in animals that rilmenidine can increase lifespansaid molecular biogerontologist João Pedro Magalhães, of the University of Birmingham. “We are now eager to explore whether rilmenidine may have other clinical applications“. The worm C. elegans is a favorite for studies, because many of its genes bear similarities to their counterparts in our genome. Yet despite these similarities, no relationship to humans is yet confirmed. Further tests have shown that thegene activity associated with calorie restriction could be observed in the kidney and liver tissues of rilmenidine-treated mice. In other words, some of the changes that calorie restriction makes in animals that are believed to confer certain health benefits also appear with a drug for hypertension which many people already assume. Another discovery was that a biological signaling receptor called nish-1 plays a crucial role in the efficacy of rilmenidine. This particular chemical structure could be targeted in the future attempts to improve life span and slow aging.
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“We have found that the life-extending effects of rilmenidine they were abolished when nish-1 was phased out“, write the researchers in the January publication. “Rescue of nish-1 receptor restored lifespan increase after rilmenidine treatment“. Low-calorie diets are difficult to follow and come with a variety of side effects, such as thinning hair, dizziness, and bone fragility. We are still in the early stages of testing, but the hope is that this drug for hypertension may confer the same benefits as a low-calorie diet while being easier on the body. What makes rilmenidine a promising candidate as an antiaging drug is that it can be taken orally, is already widely prescribed, and its side effects are rare and relatively mild (they include palpitations, insomnia, and drowsiness in some cases). Whether rilmenidine would work as an antiaging drug for real humans is still a long way to go, but the early signs of these tests in worms and mice are promising. “With an aging global population, the benefits of delaying aging, even slightly, are immense,” Magalhães said.