A study recently published in the journal Aging Cell found that administering rilmenidine, a drug used to treat hypertension, to young and older animals increased lifespan and improved overall health markers, similar to the effects calorie restriction.
Researchers have found that rilmenidine, a blood pressure medication, can extend lifespan and slow aging.
New research results, published on January 20 in the journal aging cell, show that animals treated with rilmenidine, currently used to treat hypertension (high blood pressure), at young and older ages, increased lifespan and improved health markers, mimicking the effects of calorie restriction. Rilmenidine, which is a prescription drug, is marketed under the brand names Albarel, Hyperium, Iterium and Tenaxum.
They also demonstrate that the health and lifespan benefits of rilmenidine treatment in roundworms c.elegants are mediated by the I1-imidazoline nish-1 receptor, identifying this receptor as a potential longevity target.
Unlike other drugs previously studied for this purpose by researchers, rilmenidine, a widely prescribed oral antihypertensive, has the potential to be translated to humans in the future, as side effects are rare and not serious.
A calorie-restricted diet has been considered the most robust anti-aging intervention to date, promoting longevity through[{» attribute=»»>species. However, studies of caloric restriction in humans have had mixed results and side effects, meaning finding medications like rilmenidine that can mimic the benefits of caloric restriction is the most reasonable anti-aging strategy.
Professor João Pedro Magalhães, who led the research whilst at the University of Liverpool and is now based at the
Reference: “Rilmenidine extends lifespan and healthspan in Caenorhabditis elegans via a nischarin I1-imidazoline receptor” by Dominic F. Bennett, Anita Goyala, Cyril Statzer, Charles W. Beckett, Alexander Tyshkovskiy, Vadim N. Gladyshev, Collin Y. Ewald and João Pedro de Magalhães, 20 January 2023, Aging Cell.
DOI: 10.1111/acel.13774
This study was undertaken by researchers from the University of Liverpool, ETH Zürich, and Harvard Medical School, and funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation, LongeCity, and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.