Local Community Advertising
Researchers at UBC have accidentally stumbled upon the fountain of youth, they have found out what causes skin to age and wrinkle.
In an article published in Aging Cell last week it details the findings that can lead to aging and disease progression in skin. Researchers say while ultraviolet light from the sun is widely considered as the major cause of skin aging, there is another source to blame. Using mice, the research team studied the effects of an enzyme called Granzyme B (GzmB). When the enzyme was removed from the mice it made their blood vessels more resistant to the hardening of arteries, which is a major factor in heart attacks. But this wasn’t the only finding by the team, they found that when GzmB was removed the mice had younger, smoother looking skin.
The test mice after 20 weeks of UV exposure. Top: with the enzyme Bottom: without the enzyme (Photo Credit: Aging Cell)
The mice were then subject to UV light to see if there were changes or damage to their skin, this process took about 20 weeks. After the period was up researchers noticed a significant difference in the appearance of wrinkles between mice with the enzyme and mice without it. The findings are still in their infancy but scientists say they could play a major role in the future in many age related chronic inflammatory diseases.
Local Community Advertising