The article was published in the journal Pharmacological Research and “may indicate that this compound visibly reduces tissue ageing, as we have observed a marked decrease in cellular senescence at the molecular level. Other authors have also noted its positive effects on osteoarthritis,” explains the researcher.

The results of this study show that fenofibrate, a drug widely used to treat high cholesterol, is capable of delaying ageing in various experimental mouse models. The researchers found that treatment with fenofibrate reduces the age-associated accumulation of peroxidised lipids and improves the function of mitochondria, the cellular structures responsible for producing energy. Physiologically, this leads to improvements in both heart function and cognitive brain function.

The study’s authors also show that these effects rely on the activation of two proteins involved in regulating lipid metabolism: PPARα and CPT1C. Both Dr Casals and Dr Bi have been researching the CPT1C protein for over 10 years and have now demonstrated its central role as a mediator in slowing ageing in mice treated with fenofibrate.

Taken together, the results suggest that using these proteins to modulate lipid metabolism could be an effective strategy to counteract certain natural ageing processes. Given that fenofibrate is safe and widely used in humans, the authors propose further exploring the drug as a potential therapy to delay age-associated decline.

Nuria Casals is the director of the Doctoral School, a professor of Pharmacology, leader of the Neurolipids Group at UIC Barcelona and member of several research groups at the Networked Biomedical Research Centre for the Pathophysiology of Obesity and Nutrition (CIBEROBN). She will soon visit the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Southern Medical University (Guangzhou, China), where she will teach courses in pharmacology – focusing on drugs for diabetes – and deliver lectures about UIC Barcelona’s research to share knowledge with international universities.