Latest news with #PGE2
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
This common molecule could reverse muscle ageing and prevent frailty, scientists say
A common molecule found in the body could be targeted to turn aged muscle cells to become young again, helping prevent frailty in older people, a new study suggests. The populations of developed countries are getting older, leading to higher rates of associated frailty and debilitation among their people. Gradual muscle loss in these populations is accelerated by the poor capacity of muscle tissues in older people to repair injury, especially after falls or surgeries. This leads to a condition called sarcopenia, or low muscle mass, in older people, making them prone to even more frailty and movement problems. Previous studies have shown that muscle stem cells play a key role in repairing such tissue damage, but they become dysfunctional with age. Researchers have been trying to understand how aged stem cells differ from young ones and to find ways to reverse these changes. A new study, published in the journal Cell Stem Cell, reveals that aged mice treated with a naturally occurring molecule in the body called Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) show improved regeneration and strength of aged muscle. Scientists also found that the PGE2 molecule works by counteracting stem cell ageing. In the study, researchers examined the effects of PGE2 and its related molecule EP4 on the body. Previous research has shown that during muscle injury, PGE2 triggers muscle stem cells to regenerate the muscles of young mice. In aged mice, scientists found that the EP4 production in muscle stem cells was either lacking, or reduced by half compared to levels found in young stem cells. 'PGE2 is an alarm clock to wake up the stem cells and repair the damage. Aging essentially reduces the volume of the alarm and the stem cells have also put on ear plugs,' said study author Yu Xin Wang. The new research has found a way to reset the intensity of this cellular alarm clock. When scientists gave a stable form of PGE2 to aged mice after muscle injury and in conjunction with exercise, they found that the treated mice gained more muscle mass and were stronger compared to untreated ones. 'What amazes me most is that a single dose of treatment is sufficient to restore muscle stem cell function, and that the benefit lasts far beyond the duration of the drug,' Dr Wang said. 'In addition to making new muscle, the stem cells stay in the tissue, where they sustain the effect of the PGE2 and instil the muscle with further capacity to regenerate,' he said. The study found that PGE2 treatment can restore stem cell function and reverse many of the age-related changes in mice muscles. 'PGE2 has been implicated in the regenerative process and signalling for the intestine, liver, and several other tissues, potentially opening up an approach that could restore the renewing capacity of other aged tissues,' Dr Wang said. 'We have discovered that the PGE2 induces rejuvenation of aged muscle stem cells, which leads to functional improvements in muscle repair and strength,' scientists concluded.
The Independent
14 hours ago
- Health
- The Independent
This common molecule could reverse muscle ageing and prevent frailty, scientists say
A common molecule found in the body could be targeted to turn aged muscle cells to become young again, helping prevent frailty in older people, a new study suggests. The populations of developed countries are getting older, leading to higher rates of associated frailty and debilitation among their people. Gradual muscle loss in these populations is accelerated by the poor capacity of muscle tissues in older people to repair injury, especially after falls or surgeries. This leads to a condition called sarcopenia, or low muscle mass, in older people, making them prone to even more frailty and movement problems. Previous studies have shown that muscle stem cells play a key role in repairing such tissue damage, but they become dysfunctional with age. Researchers have been trying to understand how aged stem cells differ from young ones and to find ways to reverse these changes. A new study, published in the journal Cell Stem Cell, reveals that aged mice treated with a naturally occurring molecule in the body called Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) show improved regeneration and strength of aged muscle. Scientists also found that the PGE2 molecule works by counteracting stem cell ageing. In the study, researchers examined the effects of PGE2 and its related molecule EP4 on the body. Previous research has shown that during muscle injury, PGE2 triggers muscle stem cells to regenerate the muscles of young mice. In aged mice, scientists found that the EP4 production in muscle stem cells was either lacking, or reduced by half compared to levels found in young stem cells. 'PGE2 is an alarm clock to wake up the stem cells and repair the damage. Aging essentially reduces the volume of the alarm and the stem cells have also put on ear plugs,' said study author Yu Xin Wang. The new research has found a way to reset the intensity of this cellular alarm clock. When scientists gave a stable form of PGE2 to aged mice after muscle injury and in conjunction with exercise, they found that the treated mice gained more muscle mass and were stronger compared to untreated ones. 'What amazes me most is that a single dose of treatment is sufficient to restore muscle stem cell function, and that the benefit lasts far beyond the duration of the drug,' Dr Wang said. 'In addition to making new muscle, the stem cells stay in the tissue, where they sustain the effect of the PGE2 and instil the muscle with further capacity to regenerate,' he said. The study found that PGE2 treatment can restore stem cell function and reverse many of the age-related changes in mice muscles. 'PGE2 has been implicated in the regenerative process and signalling for the intestine, liver, and several other tissues, potentially opening up an approach that could restore the renewing capacity of other aged tissues,' Dr Wang said. 'We have discovered that the PGE2 induces rejuvenation of aged muscle stem cells, which leads to functional improvements in muscle repair and strength,' scientists concluded.
The Hindu
a day ago
- Health
- The Hindu
Common molecule offers clue to making old muscles young again
As we age, it gets harder to recover from a fall, injury or even a tough workout because the body's muscle-repair system starts to falter. Muscle stem cells (MuSCs), the in-house repair crew, stop dividing and rebuilding tissue, losing their ability to respond to damage. A study in Cell Stem Cell on June 12 suggested this decline may be reversible. The key isn't some futuristic therapy but a molecule already used in hospitals today. Researchers found that five daily injections of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), a compound involved in inflammation and used clinically to induce labour, restored muscle stem cell function in aged mice. After treatment, older mice regained the ability to regenerate damaged muscle: their muscle fibres grew larger, muscle mass increased, and strength improved by about 20% compared to their untreated peers. The findings are important because PGE2 is naturally produced in the body, particularly after injury. It signals MuSCs to start repairs in young muscle, but in older tissue this signal fades, leaving stem cells inactive even when needed. After PGE2 treatment, aged stem cells 'woke up', resumed dividing, participated in tissue repair, and helped restore the animals' muscle strength. Remarkably, these effects lasted at least two weeks beyond the treatment window, suggesting more than just a temporary boost. Even more strikingly, the outcome held true outside the body. When aged stem cells were treated with PGE2 for just 48 hours in the lab and transplanted into injured muscle, they formed new tissue at levels comparable to young stem cells. Imaging showed that these treated cells engrafted robustly, persisted for weeks, and even expanded in response to subsequent injury — evidence that PGE2 acted directly on the cells themselves, not just their environment. To understand how, the team examined molecular changes inside the cells. PGE2 reopened regions of the genome that had become inaccessible with age. It also dialed down a stress-related pathway called AP-1, which becomes overactive in aging MuSCs. The molecule reset the cells' internal programmes, allowing them to act more like their younger selves. The study adds to an ongoing shift in how scientists think about ageing. For years, researchers believed age-related decline in muscle repair was driven mainly by the environment around stem cells, such as inflammation or scar tissue. But this work adds to evidence that stem cells themselves carry reversible, internal changes, opening the door to therapies that rejuvenate cells directly. The relevance goes far beyond the lab. Sarcopenia affects millions and contributes to frailty, slow recovery, and hospital readmissions in older adults. There are no approved therapies that restore MuSC function. The new study suggests a brief intervention could one day support healing in such situations. More research is required before this therapy can be tested in humans. But by showing that stem cell aging isn't irreversible, this study also opens a new frontier. Anirban Mukhopadhyay is a geneticist by training and science communicator from Delhi.
