Gut Microbiota Regulates Aging

[Asia Economy Reporter Junho Hwang] Domestic researchers have discovered a new aging mechanism regulated by gut microbiota using Caenorhabditis elegans and Escherichia coli. This research is expected to contribute to understanding the impact of gut microbiota on human aging and to finding treatments for age-related diseases.

Dr. Eunsoo Kwon's research team at the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology's Aging Control Research Group revealed the mechanism by which gut microbiota regulates host aging, and announced on the 15th that their findings were recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

The team found that the amount of harmful metabolite methylglyoxal (MG) decreased in Escherichia coli lacking the DNA-structuring protein HNS. Furthermore, they discovered that Caenorhabditis elegans fed with this E. coli exhibited regulation of a new aging control pathway (TORC2/DAF-16), resulting in a lifespan extension of approximately 10 to 20%.

MG is known to cause modifications to biomolecules such as proteins and genetic material within the body, similar to reactive oxygen species. It has been implicated as a cause of diseases like Parkinson's and diabetes. However, this study revealed a novel mechanism where MG produced by gut microbiota regulates aging by modulating the host's cellular signaling pathways.

Dr. Eunsoo Kwon stated, "We have discovered the world's first aging control pathway specifically regulated by gut microbiota," and added, "this research presents a host aging model influenced by gut microbiota and identifies a gut microbiota-specific aging regulation mechanism, confirming a new role and molecular mechanism of gut microbiota in aging."

He further explained, "Contrary to the conventional belief that MG causes nonspecific cellular damage and toxicity, we found that it also regulates specific signaling factors in the host organism," and predicted, "Lowering MG levels could become a new therapeutic approach for age-related diseases such as diabetes and neurological disorders."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.