While we know taking too much stress can result in early ageing and other issues, some individuals are unable to reduce it.
However, researchers might have found an answer to this. Experts from the University of Queensland have revealed that they have found a naturally occurring molecule in the body that plays a stress-reducing role.
This discovery, they believe, could lead to the formulation of new drugs and treatment for metabolic disorders and ageing.
About the research:
The study published in the journal Nature Communications investigated damage to mitochondria, also known as the energy powerhouse of a cell, which makes muscles function and various other processes in the body.
Researchers looked at microRNA called 'miR-71', in Caenorhabditis elegans worm models, or C. elegans., which bind to genes and prevent them from being over-activated.
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"MicroRNAs have many different functions, but this is the first time it has been shown that they regulate mitochondrial stress pathways and prevent the spread of stress signals to other cells and tissues throughout the body," said author Steven Zuryn, a molecular geneticist at the University of Queensland.
"Damage to the mitochondria accrues over time and is closely associated with metabolic disorders and diseases of ageing, including neurodegeneration, cancer and diabetes, as well as ageing itself," he said.
It was found that the microRNAs lower chronic stress in the body and protect cells. which implies that there was a possibility to design highly specific and deliverable microRNAs that target these same genes in humans, thereby reducing the intensity and spread of damaging chronic stress signals.
"We're not necessarily aiming to develop an anti-ageing drug, but an understanding of the deep underlying mechanisms of these processes may one day lead to this outcome," Zuryn said.
The authors said these findings open the possibility that metabolic disorders could be "ameliorated by limiting the overactivation of mitochondrial stress responses through targeted small RNAs".