A groundbreaking new study by the University of Alabama at Birmingham on mitochondrial depletion in mice has found a way to turn off the gene mutation that causes aging, dramatically reversing wrinkled skin and hair loss in the process. Because 90 percent of the chemical energy cells use to survive is created by mitochondria, mitochondrial dysfunction is inherently linked with aging in humans. When scientists activated a mutation in mice that caused their mitochondrial function to decline, they started losing hair, showing gray hair, and developing wrinkles (the product of both intrinsic and extrinsic aging) within a span of four to eight weeks. But when the gene mutation was switched off, and normal mitochondrial function was restored, the mice lost their wrinkles and regrew their youthful coats to stunning effect. “To our knowledge, this observation is unprecedented,” says Keshav Singh, one of the lead researchers. “It suggests that epigenetic mechanisms underlying mitochondria-to-nucleus cross-talk must play an important role in the restoration of normal skin and hair phenotype.”
