[extropy-chat] Question for Rafal was Alternative to Cryo

[Rafal Smigrodzki]

On 10/16/05, The Avantguardian <avantguardian2020 at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> Hi Rafal. I am glad you have started posting again.
> Since you are the list expert on mitochondria, I am
> very curious as to your opinion on Blackstone et al.'s
> recent proof of principle that reversible electron
> transport chain inhibitors could be used to slow down
> metabolism, and thus aging through ROS, by inducing a
> hibernation-like state of suspended animation. The
> article in question is here:
>
> http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/308/5721/518
>
> The question I have is could this theoretically allow
> the elderly or the terminally ill to survive the
> several decades for SENS and other medical
> advancements to come up with cures for their
> conditions? Could this be a viable alternative to
> cryogenic suspension?


### Unlikely, although not wholly impossible. Metabolism cannot function in
a mammal without mitochondria for long, so you can only partially suppress
it (inducing a coma because the brain *really* needs its mitos), and you
still have many forms of entropic decay during hibernation, even with lower
levels of ROS. This means that there are biological limits on the duration
of hibernation (absent in cryosuspension), and to achieve decades of
hibernation you would need to cycle on and off and periodically turn up
mitochondria to allow cellular repair. This makes it all more and more
tricky.

----------------------------------------------------

Also there is much controversy
> in the literature regarding the neurotoxic effects of
> the hydrogen sulphide (H2S) gas that Blackstone uses
> to induce this condition in mice. Do you know of any
> other reversible inhibitors of cytochrome c or the
> other components of the ETC that could serve the same
> purpose with less toxicity?


### Beta-amyloid. In hibernating animals amyloid accumulates to high levels
and participates in the induction of hibernation, to be degraded as the
spring comes.

Rafal
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