title: Duration of rapamycin treatment has differential effects on metabolism in mice.
abstract: The evolutionarily conserved target of rapamycin (TOR) signaling controls growth, metabolism, and aging. In the first robust demonstration of pharmacologically-induced life extension in mammals, longevity was extended in mice treated with rapamycin, an inhibitor of mechanistic TOR (mTOR). However, detrimental metabolic effects of rapamycin treatment were also reported, presenting a paradox of improved survival despite metabolic impairment. How rapamycin extended lifespan in mice with such paradoxical effects was unclear. Here we show that detrimental effects of rapamycin treatment were only observed during the early stages of treatment. These effects were reversed or diminished in mice treated for 20 weeks, with better metabolic profiles, increased oxygen consumption and ketogenesis, and markedly enhanced insulin sensitivity. Thus, prolonged rapamycin treatment lead to beneficial metabolic alterations, consistent with life extension previously observed. Our findings provide a likely explanation of the "rapamycin paradox" and support the potential causal importance of these metabolic alterations in longevity.
authors.affiliation: Geriatrics Laboratory, Department of Internal Medicine, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield, IL 62794, USA. yfang@siumed.edu
authors.forename: Yimin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.forename: Reyhan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Westbrook
authors.forename: Cristal
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.forename: Ravneet K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Boparai
authors.forename: Oge
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Arum
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Spong
authors.forename: Feiya
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Martin A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Javors
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Liou Y
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bartke
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001774:Blood Chemical Analysis; D015153:Blotting, Western; D001823:Body Composition / Q000187:drug effects; D002153:Calorimetry, Indirect; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000187:drug effects*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D007333:Insulin Resistance / Q000502:physiology; D008136:Longevity / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000502:physiology; D020123:Sirolimus / Q000494:pharmacology*; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: C546843:mTOR protein, mouse; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases; D020123:Sirolimus