BASIC SCIENCE: Life Extension Through Chemistry.(Brief Article)

Drugs have been used for the first time to extend the natural life span of worms. Scientists led by Simon Melov of the Buck Institute (8001 Redwood Blvd., Novato, CA; Tel: 415/209-2000, Fax: 415/899- 1810, Website: www.buckinstitute.org) have successfully increased the normal life span of the nematode worm C. elegans through the use of drugs that augment the organism's natural antioxidant systems. The experiments involved groups of adult nematodes that were either untreated or treated with synthetic catalytic scavengers, or SCSs.

These drugs are synthetic versions of superoxide dismutase and catalase, enzymes involved in the control of oxidative stress. The team of …