New Blood Analysis Helps to Know Speed of Senescence

Scientists from North Carolina State University have invented a new blood analysis to find out how fast are ageing tissues of human body on molecular level.

It emerged that the more older do the tissues grow the much better they are filled with protein called p16INK4a. Measurement of level of this protein can help doctors to know how healthy tissues are and how do they react on surgical interference and on medicines.

To this day the main senescence marker was the length of ends of chromosome called telomere. Telomere regions of chromosomes, whose main feature is the lack of capacity to join other chromosomes or their fragments, perform protective function. Now the new marker of biologic senescence can be called protein p16INK4a.

It is well known, that p16INK4a helps to suppress cancer spreading. That protein are presented in T surpressor cells of immune system. They play the main role in organism fighting with diseases and in reconstruction of damaged tissues.

The number of p16INK4a in blood shows not only how quickly are cells ageing. Also scientists have discovered a connection between protein concentration and way of living and vicious habits such as smoking and physical inactivity which make ageing faster.

To define how exact are the analysis results, scientists have examined blood samples of 170 of people. Test persons also filled up a form where they wrote about state of their health and way of their living. It emerged that p16INK4a is not connected with fattiness although the reduction of food energy can slow down ageing process. More influence on molecular ageing has physical inactivity (in other words lack of physical activity).