Plant compound cepharanthine clears aged cells in mice
Senescent cells accumulate in the body and cause problems. Researchers searched for new compounds that can selectively clear them. They found a promising candidate in a plant used in traditional medicine for centuries.
Cells that are damaged, no longer divide, but also do not die off, release molecules that disrupt surrounding tissues. Clearing these cells with targeted drugs is an active area of research. The researchers developed a system to rapidly screen large numbers of small molecules for their ability to selectively kill these so-called zombie cells. From this screen, cepharanthine (CEP) emerged as a candidate, a compound extracted from plants of the genus Stephania.
What cepharanthine does in mice
CEP has previously been studied for anti-inflammatory and anti-tumour activity. In this research, it was found to selectively clear zombie cells. Drugs that clear zombie cells in general have been shown to reverse aspects of aging and extend life in mice. CEP was identified as a potential candidate in this field through large-scale automated screening.
The barrier facing low-cost therapies
CEP is a relatively inexpensive, plant-derived compound. That makes it broadly accessible in principle, but it also runs into a familiar problem: finding funding for large trials in humans is difficult when profit potential is limited. Most studies of comparable low-cost compounds have so far been small and run by academic institutions. Whether CEP produces the same effects in humans is entirely unknown at this stage.
Search terms to explore further: zombie cell clearing natural compounds screening | plant-derived alkaloids cell aging | clearing zombie cells selectively