A Common Blood Pressure Medication Prolongs Lifespan and Delays Aging in Animals

The blood pressure medication rilmenidine has shown potential to slow aging and extend lifespan in animal studies, raising the possibility of similar benefits for humans. If effective, it could promote longer, healthier lives without the challenges of extreme calorie restriction.

Previous research revealed that rilmenidine mimics the effects of caloric restriction at a cellular level. Caloric restriction, which involves reducing energy intake while maintaining proper nutrition, has been proven to extend lifespans in several animal models. However, translating these findings to humans remains uncertain, as long-term caloric restriction poses health risks such as dizziness, brittle bones, and hair thinning. Researchers hope rilmenidine could offer similar benefits without these drawbacks.

Study Highlights Rilmenidine’s Potential to Extend Lifespan and Boost Health in Worms

A 2023 study treated young and old Caenorhabditis elegans worms—a popular research organism due to its genetic similarities to humans—with rilmenidine. The drug extended their lifespan and improved key health markers, much like the effects of caloric restriction. “For the first time, we have been able to show in animals that rilmenidine can increase lifespan,” said molecular biogerontologist João Pedro Magalhães from the University of Birmingham. “We are now keen to explore if rilmenidine may have other clinical applications.”

Rilmenidine Mimics Caloric Restriction Effects in Mice, Targeting Aging Key Tissues

Additional tests on mice revealed that rilmenidine induced gene activity associated with caloric restriction, particularly in kidney and liver tissues. This finding suggests the drug might replicate some of the cellular changes that contribute to longer lifespans in calorie-restricted animals.

A key discovery was the role of the nish-1 receptor in rilmenidine’s effectiveness. When this receptor was deleted in worms, the drug no longer extended their lifespan. However, restoring the receptor reinstated the drug’s benefits, identifying a potential target for future anti-aging interventions.

Rilmenidine shows strong potential as an anti-aging treatment because people can take it orally, it is widely available, and it rarely causes mild side effects like occasional insomnia or drowsiness. Although researchers must conduct more studies to confirm its effects on human aging, these findings represent significant progress.

“With a global aging population, the benefits of delaying aging, even slightly, are immense,” said Magalhães.

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