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Investigating Free Radicals
(Tuesday December 20 2005)
 | Kevin Perrott comments on recent investigations into the free radical theory of aging: "Some focused research using mice who exhibited premature aging was published recently in PNAS where reactive oxygen species [ROS] were suprisingly NOT implicated as a potential cause. Rather than supporting the widespread notion that the damage caused by free radical production in mitochondria leads to spiraling reactive oxygen species and more damage, eventually producing the symptoms of aging, the study upsets it." Needless to say, there is debate and disagreement: "He contends that the researchers didn't observe ROS buildup in the mutators because they checked the wrong cell types. Energy-guzzlers such as the nervous system and muscles incur the most harm from mitochondrial faults, he says, and researchers should scrutinize their cells, not connective tissue cells." |
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