Anti aging is a topic that the scientific community has always been committed to exploring. From a healthy diet to quitting smoking and drinking, and exercising regularly, many lifestyles have been proven to be beneficial for extending lifespan. At the molecular cell level, the scientific community has also discovered some mechanisms by which the body regulates cell decay and renewal, as well as certain substances that can promote tissue and body repair or reverse aging.
Rapamycin is one of the substances that can inhibit the activity of TORC1. TORC1 is a protein compound that can activate the lysosomal autophagy pathway within cells, which has been shown to be crucial for prolonging lifespan. Research on mice has shown that rapamycin can delay several age-related diseases, such as cognitive decline, spontaneous tumors, cardiovascular disease, and immune dysfunction.
Early experiments tested the anti-aging effect of different doses of rapamycin, but all required long-term administration. However, long-term use of rapamycin can bring side effects. In addition, early experiments were conducted on elderly or premature aging mouse models, and scientists are still unclear whether rapamycin can have an anti-aging effect on young mice. The scientific community is beginning to think: Can short-term or early use of rapamycin bring similar anti-aging effects?
In a study recently published in the sub journal Nature Aging, scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Aging in Germany found that short-term administration of rapamycin to female fruit flies and mice in early adulthood can prolong lifespan and reduce age-related intestinal decline, with the same effect as lifelong administration. Even after 6 months of universal use of rapamycin, the anti-aging effect is still maintained.
Does this mean that a short-term, lifelong anti-aging "lazy version of longevity medicine" is about to be born?
At present, rapamycin is also used in clinical practice both domestically and internationally for the treatment of late stage unresectable or metastatic malignant perivascular epithelioid cell tumors, lymphangioleiomyomatosis (a rare lung disease), vascular malformations, angiofibromas, etc. It can also serve as a coronary artery stent coating to prevent the recurrence of coronary artery stenosis after cardiac stenting.
The miraculous efficacy of rapamycin has also promoted the research and development of other macrocyclic lipid drugs, such as tansimox, which is used to treat kidney cancer, everolimus, which is used to inhibit rejection of kidney transplantation and treat breast cancer, neuroendocrine tumors, tuberous sclerosis, etc., and several substances used to coat vascular stents to prevent rejection.
However, it is worth noting that no amount of experimental evidence indicates that rapamycin can be directly used as an anti-aging drug, and individuals with different indications should not purchase it for anti-aging purposes.
Safety and side effects are the primary considerations. Although the toxicity of rapamycin to human body is relatively low, according to the prescription information of the US FDA, it will bring side effects such as mouth and lip ulcers, hyperglycemia or diabetes, hyperlipidemia, high cholesterol, hypertension, etc. The US FDA also reminds that rapamycin may increase the risk of skin cancer due to exposure to sunlight or ultraviolet radiation. Pregnant women, lactating women, and those who are allergic to rapamycin are prohibited from using it.
In addition, rapamycin is an immunosuppressive agent that can cause immune system abnormalities and related diseases in ordinary people. Scientists are already trying to develop compounds that can inhibit the mTOR pathway but do not inhibit immune function.
For us, the secret behind rapamycin is still too complex.
Some scientists have also pointed out that when using rapamycin to treat age-related diseases, a risk benefit balance can be made, such as acceptable side effects in treating cancer and also in treating Alzheimer's disease, as there is currently no effective treatment available. But studying gender differences in drug efficacy, determining dosage and time of administration, and exploring the efficacy of rapamycin on higher-level animals (dogs, marmosets) are all challenges that need to be overcome before using rapamycin to treat Alzheimer's disease.
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