Lithium study helps scientists unlock ageing puzzle

A common drug could hold the key to long life, in flies at least, according to research.

一项研究表明，一种常见的药物可能会成为延长寿命的关键，至少对于果蝇来说。

At low doses, lithium prolonged the life of fruit flies in lab experiments.

在实验室状态下的研究结果表明，低剂量锂的摄入能帮助果蝇延长寿命。

Scientists say the finding is "encouraging" and could eventually lead to new drugs to help people live longer and healthier lives.

科学家说，这一发现是“令人鼓舞的”，并最终可能促成新的药物的产生，帮助人们活得更长，更健康。

Lithium is used in psychiatry to help stop mood swings but has a risk of serious side-effects at high doses.

锂目前在精神病学中已有应用，可帮助患者抑制情绪波动，但高剂量的使用存在着严重副作用风险。

How lithium acts on the brain is not fully understood, but in fruit flies the drug seems to extend life by blocking a chemical known as GSK-3.

锂如何作用于大脑？目前尚不完全清楚。但是对于果蝇来说，这种药物似乎是通过阻止一种称之为GSK-3的化学物来延长寿命。

"The response we’ve seen in flies to low doses of lithium is very encouraging and our next step is to look at targeting GSK-3 in more complex animals with the aim of eventually developing a drug regime to test in humans," said Prof Linda Partridge of the UCL Institute of Healthy Ageing, who led the study.

“我们所见的低剂量锂对于果蝇的作用是十分鼓舞人心的。我们下一步工作将针对更加复杂的动物对GSK-3这一化学物进行研究。希望最终能够开发一种药物方案，对人类进行测试。” 伦敦大学学院“健康老年研究所”的琳达·帕特里奇教授说。她也是本次研究的主要负责人。

The research, published in Cell Reports, found fruit flies lived 16% longer than average when given low doses of lithium.

这项研究发表在《细胞》杂志上，报告表明，摄入低剂量锂的果蝇比一般果蝇的寿命长16%。

At high doses, lithium reduced their lifespan.

但是，高剂量的锂则会缩短果蝇的寿命。

"We found low doses not only prolong life but also shield the body from stress and block fat production for flies on a high sugar diet," said co-researcher Dr Ivana Bjedov from the UCL Cancer Institute.

“我们发现低剂量的锂不仅能延长果蝇生命，也能保护它们的身体免受压力，并且对于摄取了高糖食物的果蝇来说，还能阻止脂肪的产生，”来自伦敦大学学院癌症研究所的合作研究员伊凡娜博士说。

Healthier older generation

愈加健康的老年一代

Claire Bale of the charity Parkinson’s UK, which part-funded the study, said: "It’s encouraging to see that the researchers have been able to identify a key piece of the ageing puzzle, which one day may allow us to intervene in the ageing process."

部分资助这项研究的慈善机构“英国帕金森式症防治协会”的克莱尔·贝尔说，“研究者们能够发现解开老年化的秘密的关键，实在是令人鼓舞，也许有一天我们能够干预老化过程”。

"This research has the potential to not only help create a healthier older generation, but also provide significant insights into how we could potentially treat or even prevent conditions of ageing like Parkinson’s."

“这项研究不仅可能让老年一代更为健康，也可能为治疗甚至防止诸如帕金森氏症等老年疾病提供重要的条件。”

Lithium salts have been used in the past as a health tonic and to heal conditions such as gout and migraines.

过去，锂盐一直被当作健康补品来治疗像痛风和偏头痛等症状。

In modern medicine, lithium is used to encourage mood stability in bipolar disorder and is also being considered for the treatment of memory impairment.

在现代医学中，锂可用于治疗抑郁症，来稳定情绪，也有研究在考虑将其用于记忆障碍的治疗。

It has a risk of serious side-effects at high doses.

但是，高剂量的锂有着严重的副作用风险。

完成阅读

来源:BBC爱语吧作者:文凤