Is aging contagious?

Aging is inevitable. But a new study suggests that the aging process may be 'contagious,' like a signal traveling from one cell to another.

New scientific research shows that aging signals not only occur within individual cells, but can also spread throughout the body via the bloodstream. - Photo: AI

The study, recently published in the scientific journal Metabolism, was conducted jointly by scientists from South Korea and the United States. The research team discovered that a protein called HMGB1, when extracted from older adults and injected into the cells or bodies of young, healthy individuals, can cause premature aging.

Normally, the HMGB1 protein resides within the cell nucleus and plays a role in "organizing" the DNA structure. But when cells begin to age or experience stress, this protein leaves its normal location, is released, and undergoes transformation.

Under oxygen-deficient conditions, commonly found in aging or damaged cells, HMGB1 switches to a "deoxygenated" form. And it is this form that is the "seed of aging."

In its reduced antioxidant form, HMGB1 binds to healthy cells and triggers the aging process. These cells gradually stop dividing and release inflammatory molecules, two classic signs of biological aging.

Conversely, in its normal oxidized form, HMGB1 does not cause this effect; the cell remains healthy and continues to divide as normal.

In experiments, the research team examined the effects of HMGB1 on human cells such as kidney, lung, muscle, and skin cells. The results showed that when exposed to a reduced-oxidation form of HMGB1, healthy cells began to show signs of aging.

Furthermore, when HMGB1 was injected into young, healthy mice, within just one week the mice showed signs of premature aging, including cellular changes and increased inflammatory responses in their bodies.

Scientists also tested the blood of older adults aged 70-80 and compared it to a group of people in their 40s. The results showed that the older group had significantly higher levels of HMGB1, a hormone that reduces oxidative stress.

The same was observed in blood samples from aged mice, further strengthening the evidence for the role of this protein in the aging process.

"Research shows that aging signals don't just occur within individual cells, but can also spread throughout the body via the blood," said Dr. Ok Hee Jeon, a member of the research team at Korea Medical University.

This new discovery opens up a completely different approach in anti-aging research, focusing not only on "rejuvenating" individual cells, but also on controlling the aging signals that spread throughout the body.

Although still in its early stages, this is considered an important stepping stone to better understand the silent "death mechanism" that causes the human body to age day by day.

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MINH HAI

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/lao-hoa-cung-lay-lan-20250807162716753.htm