A compound called nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) has been shown to be effective in slowing the aging process in laboratory mice. Now it's time to find out if this substance has a similar effect on humans. This is what clinical trials will be devoted to, which will take place in the very near future under the strict supervision of specialists from the University of Washington in St. Louis and Keio University in Japan.
The planned clinical trials should provide answers to many of the questions posed to scientists at the two universities. The most important of these is the issue of the safety of the new drug for humans. Starting next month, ten volunteers will participate in a unique experiment. They will be injected with NMN to see if it will improve their physiological condition and if it can prevent the effects of the aging process. If everything goes well, then some time later the drug will be able to enter the pharmaceutical market.
NMN is an organic molecule (nucleotide) that has been found in a variety of foods, including milk. Previous studies have shown that the use of the drug slows down the aging process by activating sirtuins in the bodies of laboratory mice, a family of evolutionarily conserved NAD-dependent proteins involved in the regulation of important cellular processes and metabolic pathways. As sirtuins age, their function weakens and NMN returns them to their original state.
University of Washington researcher Shinichiro Imai discovered that NMN activates the gene responsible for sirtuins. In one experiment, a mouse that was constantly fed a diet that included NMN showed improved metabolic rate and significantly improved vision. In subsequent experiments, using the same drug, scientists were able to improve the glucose tolerance of mice and other vital indicators. In other words, NMN turned out to be a real “elixir of life” for mice. It will be a real breakthrough for researchers if the drug has similar effects on the human body.
True, no one has yet firm confidence that NMN acts on humans in the same way as on laboratory mice. And the answer to this important question, scientists will be able to get only through the much needed clinical trials.
SERGEY GRAY