Biologists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have found that fasting for 24 hours can reverse the aging of intestinal stem cells. The article was published in the journal Cell Stem Cell, a press release of the study is available on the MedicalXpress website.
Intestinal stem cells are responsible for replenishing cells in the gastrointestinal tract (GI tract), which have a variety of functions. With age, the ability of the intestines to regenerate deteriorates, making it vulnerable to infections, the development of malignant tumors and other diseases.
The study used laboratory mice that were fasting for 24 hours. After that, intestinal stem cells were extracted from the rodents, which were grown in vitro as a three-dimensional cell culture. At the same time, an organoid was formed - the "rudiment" of a real organ. It turned out that cells switched to the breakdown of fatty acids instead of glucose for energy, which improved both their functioning and the overall regenerative capacity of tissues. The transition was carried out through the activation of PPAR transcription factors, which regulate the activity of certain genes involved in the metabolism of fatty acids.
Disabling the PPAR pathway made it impossible to accelerate regeneration by fasting. It has also been shown that a specific compound that activates transcription factors mimics the effects of diet in promoting intestinal cell rejuvenation. Scientists plan to study this mechanism in more detail and hope to develop a drug that will help older people who suffer from gastrointestinal diseases or are undergoing harmful chemotherapy.