Adult-onset, short-term dietary restriction reduces cell senescence in mice

Aging (Albany NY). 2010 Sep;2(9):555-66. doi: 10.18632/aging.100196.

Abstract

Dietary restriction (DR) extends the lifespan of a wide variety of species and reduces the incidence of major age-related diseases. Cell senescence has been proposed as one causal mechanism for tissue and organism ageing. We show for the first time that adult-onset, short-term DR reduced frequencies of senescent cells in the small intestinal epithelium and liver of mice, which are tissues known to accumulate increased numbers of senescent cells with advancing age. This reduction was associated with improved telomere maintenance without increased telomerase activity. We also found a decrease in cumulative oxidative stress markers in the same compartments despite absence of significant changes in steady-state oxidative stress markers at the whole tissue level. The data suggest the possibility that reduction of cell senescence may be a primary consequence of DR which in turn may explain known effects of DR such as improved mitochondrial function and reduced production of reactive oxygen species.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aging / physiology*
  • Animals
  • Caloric Restriction*
  • Cellular Senescence / physiology*
  • Intestines / pathology*
  • Liver / pathology*
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mitochondria / physiology
  • Models, Animal
  • Oxidative Stress / physiology
  • Reactive Oxygen Species / metabolism
  • Ribosomal Protein S6 Kinases, 90-kDa / physiology
  • Signal Transduction / physiology
  • TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases / physiology
  • Telomere / physiology

Substances

  • Reactive Oxygen Species
  • mTOR protein, mouse
  • Ribosomal Protein S6 Kinases, 90-kDa
  • Rps6ka1 protein, mouse
  • TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases