Cells communicate with each other using so-called messenger substances.In the brain, this can happen. z.BThese could be dopamine, GABA, or acetylcholine. Immune cells use a different language and send out interleukins, such as IL-6. All these transmitters ensure that the various cells in our body can work together. However, communication becomes increasingly difficult and prone to errors with age.In this article, we'll show you some examples of the changes that occur in our bodies and also give you some research-based tips on how to manage them. altered intercellular communication can approach.
What do we understand by intercellular communication?
Before we begin, we first need to clarify how cells communicate with each other. This is not as trivial as it might seem. If an immune cell, on its patrol route through our blood vessels, suddenly detects an intruder, it can only communicate this by using special messenger substances.
To give you a more understandable example, let's take a brief look at how our body gets sugar into the cells. When we consume carbohydrate-rich foods, our Blood sugar toThese sugar molecules need to get into our cells, z.B. into the muscle cells, so that they can be used there with the help of the Mitochondria can be converted into energy in the form of ATP.
However, the glucose molecules that float in our blood cannot enter the muscle cells on their own. Someone has to open the "door" for them first.This happens through the hormone insulin, which binds to the insulin receptor and thus unlocks the door for glucose molecules. This allows sugar to be quickly transported from the blood to its site of action after a meal. As you can see, there are different components to the language of cells:
- The broadcasterIn this case, the pancreas, which produces the hormone insulin and releases it into the bloodstream.
- The language"Imagine that each hormone (insulin, testosterone, cortisol), each neurotransmitter (dopamine, norepinephrine) and each mediator (interleukins) represents its own language.
- The recipientFor spoken language to be understood, the receiving cells need receptors. Without these, a cell is insensitive to the signals; it does not "understand" the language.
Insulin resistance – an aspect of altered intercellular communication
Let's stick with our example and look at how communication changes over the years. Let's assume you regularly overeat and, unfortunately, your stressful daily life hasn't allowed you to really exercise for years. What could happen next is one of the most common health problems in Germany. Your cells are becoming increasingly insulin resistant.
To stick with this hypothetical example: Whereas previously, after eating a plate of pasta, it was enough for your pancreas to release 10 units of insulin into the bloodstream, today you need 20 units for the same amount of pasta. The reason? Your insulin receptors have become less sensitive to insulin.They now need more messenger substances in order to react at all.
The annoying thing is, you won't notice anything at first.Only when your pancreas exceeds its limit and your blood sugar level still doesn't decrease, has diabetes mellitus manifested. You can find more information in our article about... Insulin resistance.
Medicine offers a whole arsenal of different medications in the fight against diabetes. But it doesn't have to get that far in the first place!
Altered cell communication – more than just sugar metabolism
Many bodily processes change with age, not just sugar metabolism. The so-called [missing information] is particularly noteworthy. InflammagingThis neologism, which consists of the two words "inflammation" and "aging"., was defined as an independent hallmark of aging because it plays a crucial role in the aging process.
Inflammatory processes are a normal part of everyday life in our bodies. What we perceive as fever or swelling during an illness is actually a massive communication between immune cells.But it can also happen much more "quietly." Visceral fat tissue, for example, secretes several hormones and inflammatory substances that are associated with various age-related diseases. This almost "silent" inflammation This is one of the main aspects that appears to be responsible for some age-related illnesses.
Did you know? As you have already seen, a healthy blood sugar metabolism is essential for healthy aging. Especially in the early stages of insulin resistance, in addition to dietary changes, sport and Fast Two other substances also help. Berber woman It is a naturally occurring substance from the barberry and works in a similar way to the diabetes drug Metformin..
And Inositolwhich has been shown in clinical trials to improve blood sugar control in women with PCOS. You can also find inositol in our innovatively formulated MoleQlar ONE.
Sirtuins take action
When inflammation is mentioned, our family of longevity genes isn't far from the scene. We're talking, of course, about the... Sirtuins, a gene family with seven members (see also Longevity pathways). Several studies have shown that SIRT1 can downregulate inflammatory genes, including via NF-kB..
Drug-induced activation of SIRT1 confirmed this finding, while a reduction in SIRT1 resulted in the development and progression of inflammatory diseases. SIRT2 and SIRT6 perform similar functions, albeit partly via different molecular pathways. However, the complex structure of intercellular communication extends beyond inflammation..
The bystander effect: intercellular communication can also work differently.
"The likelihood of providing assistance (prosocial behavior) to people in an emergency situation decreases with the number of people present in that situation," is how the Cod Lexicon for psychology the term Bystander effect.That's all well and good, but what does that have to do with intercellular communication and aging?
The phenomenon that Age-related changes in one tissue can lead to age-specific changes in other tissues.This falls under the molecular biological concept of the bystander effect. Imagine that one immune cell "encourages" another to do nothing with the next bacterium, but simply observe. Isn't that also a form of spreading failure to help? In this respect, psychology and molecular biology are more closely intertwined than one might think.
Besides inflammatory messenger substances, there are other examples of “contagious aging“. Senescent cells They can trigger senescence in other, still healthy cells through direct contact. This process involves, among other things... free radicals (ROS) involved (see mitochondrial dysfunctionSimilarly, impaired kidney function in humans can increase the risk of heart disease.
This bystander effect also has a positive side, because it It also works in reverse., as studies have shown. Interventions aimed at extending lifespan by targeting one tissue may delay the aging process in other tissues.Molecular biology is ahead of psychology in this respect!
Restoration of faulty intercellular communication
We've heard a lot about how faulty intercellular communication occurs. It's time to think about how to prevent it. That's exactly what researchers have been thinking.
There are various ways to restore communication. The following are particularly relevant: different Fasting methods to extend healthy lifespan and also the Transmission of systemic factors isolated from blood. Furthermore, the administration of anti-inflammatory agents such as acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) in mice, resulting in an increased life expectancy.
This is very exciting and still relatively unexplored. Gut microbiome. As is well known, the gut microbiome influences the function of the immune system and the metabolism. Therefore, it seems possible to extend human lifespan by altering the composition of the gut bacteria ecosystem. You can find more information in the article about the 11th Hallmark of Aging.
Threat and Resource
There is compelling evidence that aging extends beyond the cell-autonomous level. It involves a generalized change in communication between cells, which fortunately also offers opportunities for intervention. Similar to the Stem cell depletion, many characteristics of aging have altered intercellular communication as their final pathway.
The small changes at the level of the individual cell through genomic instability or Telomere shortening This results in a general reaction that, in its breadth, sometimes brings benefit and sometimes harm. With age, the balance shifts increasingly towards harm.
The bystander effect also shows that the body's adaptability in old age can be both a threat and a resource. The question remains how we can specifically utilize this resource. Research has yet to provide us with an answer to this question.
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Altered intercellular communication – Conclusion
Our cells communicate with each other every day in a wide variety of languages, completely unnoticed by us. Only in old age, when changes in intercellular communication become apparent, do we begin to feel some of the consequences. Depending on which cells are affected, we can already take action today.Especially regarding insulin resistance, there is very good data showing that sufficient exercise and a healthy diet are important. Nutrition, fasting and Dietary supplements, such as berberine, can reverse insulin resistance.
The next article in this series will discuss the tenth sign of aging: Inflammaging.
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