DRUGS used since the 1950s to prevent epileptic seizures can act as an elixir of youth 鈥� at least for worms.
When given standard anticonvulsants, nematode worms lived up to 50 per cent longer than normal. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 pretty dramatic,鈥� says Kerry Kornfeld at Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, Missouri, head of the team that made the discovery. If the drugs have the same effect on humans, it would mean people living to the ripe old age of 150 or more.
Of the three anticonvulsants tested, trimethadione worked best, extending worm life by 47 per cent on average and by a maximum of 57 per cent. The two others, ethosuximide and 3,3-diethyl-2-pyrrolidinone, extended average lifespan by 17 per cent and 31 per cent respectively (Science, vol 307, p 258).
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The team tested 19 common drugs on the worms. Ethosuximide was the last to be screened, by team member Kimberley Evason, and it was the only success. 鈥淪he鈥檇 been screening for eight months and got nothing,鈥� says Kornfeld.
The result was a complete surprise. 鈥淚n the epilepsy literature, there鈥檚 nothing related to ageing,鈥� says Kornfeld. To ensure it was no fluke, the team repeated the tests with the two other anticonvulsants.
Kornfeld admits he has no idea how the drugs work, but suspects that they act through the nervous system. The effect is unrelated to restricted food intake, a factor known to extend the lifespan of worms by about 40 per cent. Worms that live longer because of a gene defect that limits how much they eat lived longer still when given the anticonvulsants 鈥� a 70 per cent increase compared with normal worms.
鈥淲hen given standard anticonvulsants, nematode worms lived up to 50 per cent longer than normal鈥�
Now the team plans to test the drugs on mice. Besides looking at lifespan, they will see if the drugs slow age-related deterioration in faculties such as sight. Testing whether the drugs extend people鈥檚 lifespan is impractical for obvious reasons, but if they do slow down age-related degeneration, trials should be able to detect this after as little as two years.
However, anyone tempted to try such drugs for themselves risks shortening their life rather than lengthening it. 鈥淭he drugs could have side effects that are deleterious or downright dangerous,鈥� Kornfeld warns, pointing out that worms died younger than usual when overdosed with ethosuximide.
