Don't want to grow old? Ancient Chinese medicine may help

London: Scientists have claimed that an ancient Chinese medicine — a flowering Tibetan shrub used for centuries to treat malaria — could prevent conditions like multiple sclerosis and even fend off old age.

A team at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine in Boston has found the blue evergreen hydrangea (Dichroa febrifuga) can trick cells into thinking they are starving.

In fact, the scientists have found that halofuginone — a chemical based on the roots’ active ingredient — helps block immune reactions that can cause disease, the New Scientist reported.

Cells stop the synthesis of non-vital proteins when amino acids are in short supply. The team discovered that halofuginone mimics such a shortage by blocking an enzyme that feeds one amino acid to the protein-making machinery.

They found that the drug triggers a chemical cascade that responds to amino acid scarcity, called AAR. This inhibits the growth of malaria parasites, stops blood cells from making proteins that cause inflammation, and stops the development of specific white blood cells that trigger conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease and multiple sclerosis.

This could make the drug effective against autoimmune disease and can also work as an anti-ageing drug, according to Tracy Keller, who led the research published in the ‘Nature Chemical Biology’ journal.

PTI