Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine discovered that cells from people and animals that had recovered from TB had aged up to 14 years prematurely. The findings were published in the journal ‘Aging’. Survivors of TB have a higher risk of recurring infection and mortality even after effective tuberculosis treatment.
Dr Andrew DiNardo, assistant professor of infectious diseases at Baylor College of Medicine and senior author of the paper said, ‘It’s possible that this premature cellular ageing is one reason why survivors of tuberculosis have a high risk of mortality’.
Researchers looked at different cohorts and tissue types in this study and discovered that TB caused changes in epigenetic regulation, especially DNA methylation-mediated control. These alterations appeared to be linked to oxidative stress-induced senescence and early cellular ageing. These functions were found in both guinea pigs and humans.
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This is an essential area to look at after any severe illness, including sepsis or even SARS-CoV-2, according to DiNardo, who also works at Texas Children’s Hospital. The intensity of the infection may also have a role in the cells’ ageing.
‘Now that we know the mechanism, there are some ways that we can target it to slow down and decrease the premature epigenetic ageing that is happening in these cells,’ said Dr Cristian Coarfa, associate professor of molecular and cellular biology at Baylor and co-corresponding author of the paper.
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