Skin ageing reversed
The discovery could help old people to heal from an injury as quickly as they did when they were younger
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Friday, 30, Nov 2007 01:49
The effects of skin ageing can be reversed temporarily, scientists have discovered in tests on mice.
While not being the mythical fountain of youth, the researchers say the finding could one day help old people to heal from an injury as quickly as they did when they were younger.
The team from Stanford University school of medicine discovered that blocking the gene called NF-kappa-B reversed the effects of ageing in mammalian skin.
They made the breakthrough after testing whether blocking the activity of the gene in the skin of older mice for two weeks had a youthful effect.
Lead researcher Dr Howard Chang said they found "a pretty striking reversal" to younger-looking skin.
Writing in the journal Genes and Development the researchers say their work supports the theory that ageing is the result of specific genetic changes rather than accumulated wear and tear.
"The finding that aged skin can be 'rejuvenated' by a genetic intervention late in life implies that the aging program is plastic, and therefore can be potentially manipulated to decrease the deleterious effects of ageing," said Dr Chang.