Scientists find clues in kidneys and gut of dogs that could hint at human ageing
Dog owners often treat their pets like miniature humans, and now scientists are studying dogs in the same way to discover more about the mystery of aging in humans.
They suspect it’s a clue that aging in both dogs and humans may occur at different rates in the kidneys and intestines.
In 2020, researchers at the Canine Aging Project in the United States began enrolling dogs in a long-term aging study, eventually resulting in nearly 50,000 dogs volunteered by their owners.
The project was designed to identify aging patterns and how they are shaped by genetic and environmental differences.
It was thought that pets would be ideal models for research because they have similar genetic diversity, diseases, and homes to humans. “Dogs vary greatly not only in size, shape and behavior, but also in aging patterns.” a new study says by the project.
The researchers said the dogs’ relatively short lifespans gave them a chance to see the impact their discoveries would have on both canine and human health over their own lifetimes.
After analyzing blood samples from nearly 800 dogs, they found that about 40 percent of the small molecules in dogs’ blood change with age.
“These molecules, known as metabolites, are basically the building blocks of life,” said scientist Daniel Promislow, co-director of the Canine Aging Project and senior author of the study. Aging Cell.
“They serve as raw materials for the formation of proteins, DNA, and other cellular components and play a critical role in the survival of cells.”
Researchers found that a type of metabolites called post-translationally modified amino acids (ptmAAs) appear to be strongly linked to aging in dogs of all breeds, sizes and genders.
Bacteria in the gut can create amino acids as food is digested.
Kidneys become less effective as dogs and humans age, and the study’s authors found that amino acids increase as kidney function declines, possibly explaining why some dogs age more healthily than others and offering clues for humans as well.
The researchers plan to track changes in metabolites in the same dogs over several years and will attempt to identify gut microbes that may change in abundance with age.
They also want to look at information from owners to see if changes in muscle mass, a common phenomenon in both aging dogs and humans, are linked to amino acids.
