- Studies have shown that the longevity-associated variant (LAV) of the BPIFB4 gene is associated with a longer lifespan in humans and has protective effects in rodent models of cardiovascular disease.
- A new study shows that LAV-BPIFB4 may exert its cardioprotective effects by promoting the formation of new blood vessels and reducing the number of blood vessel cells that have become senescent and stopped multiplying.
- The study indicates that inducing the expression of LAV-BPIFB4 in aged mice improved cardiac function and regulation of blood flow to the heart.
- These findings highlight the therapeutic potential of LAV-BPIFB4 for attenuating the adverse effects of aging on cardiovascular function.
A recent study published in Cardiovascular Research suggests that LAV-BPIFB4, a gene variant that previous research ha shown to be highly expressed by individuals with an exceptionally long lifespan, could also protect cardiac and vascular function in old age.
In the new study, inducing the expression of LAV-BPIFB4 in aged mice led to improvements in cardiac function that, translated to the human context, would be equivalent to a reduction in the heart’s biological age by 10 years.
Study author Dr. Paolo Madeddu, professor of experimental cardiovascular medicine at Bristol University in the United Kingdom, told Medical News Today:
“It is known that centenarians can pass their healthy genes to their offspring. This study demonstrates that it is also possible to make human cardiac cells younger and older mice hearts by transferring a gene expressed by centenarians. We also demonstrate that the benefit is related to the ability of the gene to reprogram cardiac cells to become more resistant to stress and build up the machinery (
ribosomes ) that make proteins.”
The heart has four chambers — two upper chambers called atria that receive blood from the body, and two lower chambers called the ventricles that pump blood to the body.
The right atrium receives deoxygenated blood from…
Read the full article here