title: Obesity, longevity, quality of life: alteration by dietary 2-mercaptoethanol.
abstract: Previous investigations demonstrated that optimization of murine immunological reactivity in tissue culture required a sulfhydryl compound; the most effective being 2-mercaptoethanol (2-Me). Since these reports, 2-Me was found beneficial for both growth/function of other cell-types in vitro, including those of other species, and when fed orally, it impeded and/or reversed some in situ physiological changes associated with aging. More recently, thiol-containing compounds possessing oxidation-reduction potentials weaker than 2-Me were found to impart beneficial effects for many other, including human, diseases. Based on these effects, the research herein addressed the question: What consequences might dietary 2-Me impart on health and disease of mice other than those associated with aging? The main parameters monitored over the lifetime of individual animals exposed to dietary 10⁻³ M 2-Me in their drinking water were: quality of life (obesity and development of recumbent, emaciated and/or cachectic health); longevity; and appearance of tumors. Instead of anticipated toxic attributes, the following unique benefits were found; mean survival of a moderately-lived strain (A/J) was increased 40.8%, high-fat-diet obesity was curtailed in C57BL/10 mice, and a goal of aging intervention protocols, namely preventing loss of quality of life during aging (recumbent, emaciated and/or cachectic) was achieved. Various mechanisms are discussed as they pertain to these findings.
authors.affiliation: VA Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN, USA. mbclicker@msn.com
authors.forename: Robert E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Click
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D008136:Longevity / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D008623:Mercaptoethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control; D009765:Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control*
chemical_list: D008623:Mercaptoethanol