Ancient Chinese medicine could fight aging

A flowering Tibetan shrub that tricks cells into thinking they are starving could become a weapon against multiple sclerosis and even old age.

The roots of the blue evergreen hydrangea (Dichroa febrifuga) have been used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine to treat malaria. Now Tracy Keller and colleagues at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine in Boston have found that halofuginone ? a chemical based on the roots' active ingredient ? blocks immune reactions that can cause disease.

Cells stop the synthesis of non-vital proteins when amino acids are in short supply. Keller's team discovered that halofuginone mimics such a shortage by blocking an enzyme that feeds one amino acid to the protein-making machinery.

Keller found that the drug triggers a chemical cascade that responds to amino acid scarcity, called AAR. This inhibits the growth of malaria parasites, stops blood cells from making proteins that cause inflammation, and stops the development of specific white blood cells that trigger conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease and multiple sclerosis.

This could make the drug effective against autoimmune disease. But as halofuginone mimics nutrient deprivation, there is another possible use. Animals that receive only just adequate nutrition are known to live longer, partly because diseases which involve inflammation are prevented. That, says Keller, means halofuginone might possibly work as an anti-aging drug.

Journal reference: Nature Chemical Biology, DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.790

If you would like to reuse any content from New Scientist, either in print or online, please contact the syndication department first for permission. New Scientist does not own rights to photos, but there are a variety of licensing options available for use of articles and graphics we own the copyright to.

Have your say

Only subscribers may leave comments on this article. Please log in.

Only personal subscribers may leave comments on this article

Subscribe now to comment.

All comments should respect the New Scientist House Rules. If you think a particular comment breaks these rules then please use the "Report" link in that comment to report it to us.

If you are having a technical problem posting a comment, please contact technical support.

Source: http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10897/s/1c970a0f/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Carticle0Cdn214620Eancient0Echinese0Emedicine0Ecould0Efight0Eaging0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fonline0Enews/story01.htm

liberace liberace repudiate avengers joost joost how to get ios 5