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<\/div>An inflammatory molecule (in green) is visible in liver tissue from an older mouse<\/p>\n
Anissa A. Widjaja et al. 2024<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n
Blocking an inflammatory molecule known as interleukin-11 (IL-11) extends the lifespan of mice, suggesting that drugs inhibiting IL-11 may have anti-ageing<\/a> effects in people, too.<\/p>\n As we get older, our cells accumulate damage, triggering the immune system<\/a> to spew out inflammatory molecules like IL-11. While small doses of inflammation<\/a> can protect us from disease or injury, excessive amounts damage cells, which is believed to accelerate ageing.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is like pouring petrol onto a fire,\u201d says Stuart Cook<\/a> at Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore. Stifling inflammation could, therefore, slow age-related declines<\/a> in health.<\/p>\n To test this idea, Cook and his colleagues injected 37 mice with a drug that uses antibodies<\/a> to block IL-11. The mice received an injection every three weeks starting at 75 weeks of age \u2013 comparable to about 55 years old in humans \u2013 until they died. A separate group of 38 mice received a different antibody therapy that didn\u2019t target IL-11.<\/p>\n The researchers found that blocking IL-11 extended the lifespan of both male and female mice by more than 20 per cent. In further experiments, animals treated with the anti-IL-11 therapy were less likely to develop cancer: less than 16 per cent of the treated rodents had tumours, compared with more than 60 per cent of those in the control group.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The therapy also reduced cholesterol levels, frailty and body weight in the treated animals, and it improved their muscle strength and metabolism. Together, these findings suggest that blocking IL-11 may mitigate age-related health declines in mice as well as improving lifespan.<\/p>\n However, we won\u2019t know if the same is true in people until clinical trials are conducted, says Cook. Multiple trials are under way to test anti-IL-11 therapies in people with certain inflammatory conditions, such as pulmonary fibrosis, but none is investigating its potential anti-ageing effects, he says.<\/p>\n It is also important to keep in mind that some amount of inflammation as we age is normal, says Shilpa Ravella<\/a> at Columbia University in New York. This makes it harder to know who may benefit from these types of anti-inflammatory therapies, she says.<\/p>\n Topics:<\/p>\n<\/section><\/div>\n