The clinical trial reverses two biological processes associated with aging in human cells: ScienceDaily



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A new study from Tel Aviv University (TAU) and Shamir Medical Center in Israel indicates that hyperbaric oxygen (HBOT) treatments in healthy aging adults can stop the aging of blood cells and reverse the aging process. In a biological sense, adult blood cells actually get younger as treatments progress.

Researchers found that a unique protocol of high-pressure oxygen treatments in a pressure chamber can reverse two important processes associated with aging and its diseases: shortening of telomeres (protective regions located at either end of each chromosome). and the accumulation of old and malfunctioning cells in the body. Focusing on immune cells containing DNA obtained from the participants’ blood, the study found an elongation of up to 38% of telomeres, as well as a decrease of up to 37% in the presence of senescent cells.

The study was conducted by Professor Shai Efrati of the Sackler School of Medicine and the Sagol School of Neuroscience at TAU ​​and the founder and director of the Sagol Center of Hyperbaric Medicine at Shamir Medical Center; and Dr. Amir Hadanny, director of medical research at the Sagol Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Research at Shamir Medical Center. The clinical trial was conducted as part of a comprehensive Israeli research program that targets aging as a reversible condition.

The article was published in Aging on November 18, 2020.

“For many years our team has been engaged in hyperbaric research and therapy – treatments based on protocols of exposure to high pressure oxygen at various concentrations inside a pressure chamber,” explains Professor Efrati. “Our findings over the years included improvements in brain function damaged by age, stroke or brain injury.

“In this study we wanted to examine the impact of HBOT on healthy, independent older adults and find out if such treatments can slow, stop or even reverse the normal aging process at the cellular level.”

The researchers exposed 35 healthy individuals aged 64 years or older to a series of 60 hyperbaric sessions over a 90-day period. Each participant provided blood samples before, during and at the end of the treatments and some time after the conclusion of the treatment series. The researchers then analyzed various immune cells in the blood and compared the results.

The results indicated that the treatments actually reversed the aging process in two of its main aspects: telomeres at the ends of chromosomes grew longer instead of shorter, at a rate of 20% -38% for different types of cells; and the percentage of senescent cells in the overall cell population was significantly reduced – by 11% -37% depending on the cell type.

‘Telomere shortening is now considered the’ Holy Grail ‘of the biology of aging,’ says Professor Efrati. “Researchers around the world are trying to develop pharmacological and environmental interventions that allow telomere elongation. Our HBOT protocol has been able to achieve this by showing that the aging process can indeed be reversed at the cellular level. basic molecular “.

“Until now, interventions such as lifestyle modifications and strenuous exercise have been shown to have an inhibitory effect on shortening telomeres,” adds Dr. “But in our study, just three months of HBOT was able to lengthen telomeres at speeds far beyond any currently available intervention or lifestyle modifications. With this pioneering study, we have opened a door for further research on cellular impact. of HBOT and its potential to reverse the aging process “.

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Materials provided by American Friends of Tel Aviv University. Note: The content can be changed by style and length.

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