Researchers at the University of Liverpool (UK) have discovered that the drug rilmenidinecurrently used to treat hypertension, may prolong life and delay aging.
The results, published in the scientific journal ‘Aging Cell’show that animals treated with rilmenidine, which is currently used to treat hypertension, at early and old ages increase life expectancy and improve health markers, mimicking the effects of caloric restriction.
They also show that the health and life expectancy benefits of rilmenidine treatment in roundworm ‘C. elegans’ are mediated by the I1-imidazoline nish-1 receptor, which identifies this receptor as a possible target of the longevity.
Unlike other drugs previously studied for this purpose by researchers, rilmenidine, a widely prescribed oral antihypertensive, has possibilities of moving in the future to the human beingsince its side effects are few and not serious.
To date, the calorie-restricted diet has been considered the most robust anti-aging intervention, as it promotes longevity in all species.
However, studies of caloric restriction in humans have had mixed results and side effects, which means that the most reasonable anti-aging strategy is to find drugs like rilmenidine that can mimic the benefits of caloric restriction.
“With an aging world population, the benefits of delay aging, even slightly, they are immense. The repurposing of drugs capable of prolonging life and health expectancy has enormous untapped potential in translational geroscience. For the first time we were able demonstrate in animals that rilmenidine can increase life expectancy. We are now interested in exploring whether rilmenidine may have other clinical applications,” said Professor Joao Pedro Magalhãeswho led the research while at the University of Liverpool and is now at the University of Birmingham.