Statins, popular cholesterol lowering drugs, may also slow human ageing by protecting against telomere shortening, scientists have claimed.
Statins may reduce the rate at which telomeres shorten, a key factor in the natural ageing process. Telomeres are stretches of DNA at the ends of the chromosomes. Many ageing-related diseases are linked to shortened telomeres.
This opens the door for using statins, or derivatives of statins, as an anti-ageing therapy, researchers said.
"By telomerase activation, statins may represent a new molecular switch able to slow down senescent cells in our tissues and be able to lead healthy lifespan extension," said Giuseppe Paolisso, a researcher involved in the work from the Department of Internal Medicine, Surgical, Neurological Metabolic Disease and Geriatric Medicine at Second University of Naples in Naples, Italy.
Paolisso and colleagues worked with two groups of subjects. The first group was under chronic statin therapy, and the second group (control), did not use statins.
When researchers measured telomerase activity in both groups, those undergoing statin treatment had higher telomerase activity in their white blood cells, which was associated with lower telomeres shortening along with ageing as compared to the control group.
This strongly highlights the role of telomerase activation in preventing the excessive accumulation of short telomeres, according to new research in The FASEB Journal.
"The great thing about statins is that they reduce risks for cardiovascular disease significantly and are generally safe for most people. The bad thing is that statins do have side effects, like muscle injury," said Gerald Weissmann, Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal.
"But if it is confirmed that statins might actually slow ageing itself - and not just the symptoms of ageing - then statins are much more powerful drugs than we ever thought," he said.
