Rapamycin-induced increase in autophagy within these cells resulted in sustained improvement in gut health, preservation of gut mucosal integrity, and regeneration of the gut epithelium six months ...

Rapamycin is a naturally occurring compound primarily used to prevent organ rejection in transplant patients. It’s also considered a promising anti-aging drug among longevity seekers. Rapamycin ...

Increased autophagy—lysosome-mediated biologically conserved degradation and recycling of cellular components—is activated downstream of TORC1 activation and is essential for rapamycin’s ...

Brief elevation of autophagy in early adulthood itself induced a long-term increase in autophagy. In mice, a 3-month, early treatment also induced a memory effect, with maintenance similar to chronic ...

Sexual identity of enterocytes regulates autophagy to determine intestinal health, lifespan and responses to rapamycin. Nature Aging, 2022; DOI: 10.1038/s43587-022-00308-7 ...

Journal reference: Cao, Y-Y., et al. (2022) The Polo-Like Kinase 1–Mammalian Target of Rapamycin Axis Regulates Autophagy to Prevent Intestinal Barrier Dysfunction During Sepsis.

If rapamycin has a beneficial effect he says, it will help demonstrate that it’s possible to target the root cause of the disease. “It really comes down to targeting the biology of aging ...

By testing the drug rapamycin as a way to prevent gum disease — often associated with heart disease and dementia — researchers may learn more about if it slows age-related diseases.

Male intestinal cells, however, already seem to have a high basal autophagy activity, which cannot be further increased by rapamycin. The scientists could also see this effect of rapamycin in mice.