Description

Work by Michael Polymenis and colleagues published in Public Library of Science - Genetics elegantly demonstrates a link between the commonly used anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen, metabolism of the amino acid tryptophan, and lifespan using the model organisms yeast and nematode worms. Part of this effect may be related to slowing of the cell cycle resulting in slower early development and growth.

Although they did test the drug in the fruit fly Drosophila and observed lifespan increase, the result needs to be repeated using better controls and testing for the effect on tryptophan metabolism. Once that is confirmed, tests in mice should be done.

Unfortunately the size of genetic- or drug-induced lifespan extension nearly always seems to diminish substantially or disappear as we progress up the scale of complexity in model organisms, from the single-celled yeasts to nematode worms with just below 959 cells, to a fruit fly with >100,000 cells in its nervous system alone, to a mouse, with 71 million neurons.

The question is whether this finding might be relevant to lifespan in humans. If the lifespan extension was dependent upon early growth or developmental effects, it is unlikely to be useful in humans. Otherwise, quite possibly it might provide health benefits. There should be enough data already available for an epidemiological study to determine whether this is a possibility.