Tag Archives: telomerase and aging

Telomerase And Aging

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Biochemistry Question.?

The electron transport chain is great at producing ATPs very efficently. There is a cost. Production of Peroxides and Superoxides which are very reactive free radicals that cause damage and aging of the mitochondria. What research is/ has been conducted to combat this problem. Is anything in development that could seriously extend the lives of ever member of the human race? If something could keep ATP production optimal without minimal production of the free radicals. We’d live a long time. Oh yeah.. keep telomerase from shedding the telomeres of the DNA alpha helices.

I suppose this question is asking about antioxidant research. EGCg is a well-studied antioxidant isolated from green tea. It has been shown to reduce the expression of cancer-associated proteins in vitro. However, the concentrations of the chemical required for this effect would be hard to sustain in the human body. Additionally, antioxidants have a very short half life (they are used up fast), so any sort of antioxidant therapy would be extremely hard to actually do.