Restore blood stem cells? A team of scientists from Columbia University in New York in the United States has just published its study in Nature Cell Biology. The blood cell-producing system in the bone marrow deteriorates with age. Yet researchers have just countered this ageing. For cerla they used a drug called anakinra which is used as a treatment in rheumatoid arthritis!
Blood stem cells or hematopoietic stem cells
Blood stem cells or hematopoietic stem cells are the stem cells that are the source of all blood cells. These are red blood cells, various white blood cells and platelets. These cells capable of renewing and differentiating themselves are at the origin of thehematopoiesis. It is the phenomenon of production of blood cells forming the formed elements of blood.
They exist in the blood of the umbilical cord and can in rare cases be found in the blood. However, the majority of hematopoietic cells are found in the bone marrow. This is located in the sternum, in the iliac bone, the bones of the ribs, the bones of the skull and in part of the femur. Only a part of the bone marrow, called the stromal niche, hosts hematopoietic stem cells. Don’t confuse bone marrow with spinal cord. The latter is an extension of the brain protected by the vertebrae.
As an individual ages, hematopoietic stem cells gradually lose their ability to regenerate. They therefore no longer manage to differentiate properly. As a result, they produce fewer and fewer new blood cells and their genetic integrity is disrupted. This leads to an increased risk of developing blood cancer.
According to the researchers, it could be possible to allow people to stay in better shape for longer by rejuvenating the production of blood cells. They did tests on mice. These involved the use of an anti-inflammatory molecule called anakinra. It is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and is an attractive solution for rejuvenating blood production.
Read also: Blood stem cells: they have an immune memory!
An anti-inflammatory molecule that blocks an interleukin
Hematopoietic cells give rise to all blood cells.
Credits: Pixabay.
Anakinra is a molecule used in the treatment of certain types of rheumatism such as rheumatoid arthritis. It is an autoimmune disease in which the joints of the hands and feet especially become inflamed. This leads to swelling and destruction of the joints. The molecule anakinra acts as an interleukin 1 (IL1) antagonist. It therefore blocks the action of interleukin 1. It is a cytokine (protein) which, among other things, is responsible for triggering inflammatory processes when the body is subjected to an infection. However, it also damages the process of differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells into blood cells.
Several attempts have been made before to restore the full capacity of blood cell production by hematopoietic stem cells in aging mice, in particular with exercise and a suitable diet, but without real success. Other solutions such as the transfusion of blood from young mice to old mice or even the “transplantation” of hematopoietic stem cells from young animals to old animals have ended in failure.
In this new study, the scientists sought to find out whether the solution would not be to try to directly treat the problem upstream of the production of blood cells, that is to say at the level of the stromal niche. They realized that theinflammation was responsible for the progressive degradation of the production of red blood cells, various white blood cells and blood platelets. The researchers therefore tried to rejuvenate this production system!
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Rejuvenated hematopoietic stem cells
The researchers administered the drug anakinra to aged mice. The latter had a degraded blood cell production system. The researchers thus realized that their hematopoietic stem cells had clearly rejuvenated. They noticed that this rejuvenation effect was even more pronounced when the treatment was given when the mice were young and throughout their lifespan.
The team of scientists from Columbia University are now considering whether anakinra might work the same way in humans. The results obtained with mice show that this is an interesting strategy. It would make it possible to maintain effective blood stem cells in the elderly. These will help produce healthy and fully functioning blood cells. People’s lifespans keep getting longer. There is therefore a risk that more and more people will need such treatment.
The anakinra has a big advantage. It is indeed a drug that is already used in human medicine. It is therefore already approved by the responsible authorities. Setting up a clinical trial to use it on aging hematopoietic stem cells should be faster than if it were a new molecule. Once such a clinical study begins, researchers will be able to take a closer look at what happens in the human hematopoietic system when anakinra is administered.
Read also: Is our aging registered in our cells?
