An experimental drug that extends the lifespan of mice by 25% could also work in humans, according to the scientist who ran the trials. The treatment - an injection of an antibody called anti-IL-11 that was given to the mice when they were 'middle-aged' - reduced deaths from cancer.

根据进行试验的科学家表示，一种能将小鼠寿命延长25%的实验性药物也可能对人类有效。这种治疗方法是在小鼠“中年”时给它们注射一种名为抗IL-11的抗体，这降低了死于癌症的小鼠数量。



It also lowered the incidence of diseases caused by fibrosis, chronic inflammation and poor metabolism, which are the hallmarks of ageing. Professor Stuart Cook, a senior scientist on the study, said: "These findings are very exciting.

此外，它还降低了由纤维化、慢性炎症和代谢不良引起的疾病发病率，这些都是衰老的标志。该研究的主要科学家斯图尔特·库克教授表示：“这些发现非常令人兴奋。”

"While these findings are only in mice, it raises the tantalising possibility that the drugs could have a similar effect in elderly humans. "The treated mice had fewer cancers, and were free from the usual signs of ageing and frailty, but we also saw reduced muscle wasting and improvement in muscle strength.

“虽然这些发现仅在小鼠身上，但它提出了一个诱人的可能性，即这些药物可能对老年人类产生类似的效果。” “经治疗的小鼠癌症发病率更低，且没有衰老和虚弱的迹象， 但我们还发现其肌肉流失减少，肌肉力量增强。”

"In other words, the old mice receiving anti-IL-11 were healthier." Videos released by the scientists show untreated mice had greying patches on their fur, with hair loss and weight gain.

“换句话说，接受抗IL-11的老年小鼠更健康。" 科学家发布的视频显示，未经治疗的小鼠的皮毛出现灰色斑块，导致脱发和体重增加。

But those receiving the injection had glossy coats and were more active. The researchers, from the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Medical Science (MRC LMS), Imperial College London and Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore, gave the mice the antibody injection when they were 75 weeks old - equivalent to a human age of 55 years.

但接受注射的小鼠皮毛更有光泽，且更加活跃。这项研究由医学研究委员会医学科学实验室（MRC LMS）、 伦敦帝国理工学院和新加坡杜克-新加坡国立大学医学院的科学家共同完成， 他们在小鼠75周大时为其注射了抗体，这相当于人类的55岁。

The mice went on to live to an average of 155 weeks, 35 weeks longer than mice who were not treated, according to results published in the journal Nature. The drug appeared to have very few side effects.

根据《自然》杂志上发表的结果， 这些小鼠的平均寿命延长至155周，比未接受治疗的小鼠多活了35周。该药物的副作用似乎很少。

"Previously proposed life-extending drugs and treatments have either had poor side-effect profiles, or don't work in both sexes, or could extend life, but not healthy life - however this does not appear to be the case for IL-11," Professor Cook said.

库克教授表示：“先前提出的延长寿命的药物和治疗方法要么副作用很大，要么对两性都不起作用，要么可以延长寿命， 但不能延长健康寿命——然而，IL-11似乎并不属于这种情况。”

The antibody blocked the action of the IL-11 protein, which is thought to play a role in the ageing of cells and body tissues - in humans as well as mice. Professor Cook said: "The IL-11 gene activity increases in all tissues in the mouse with age.

该抗体阻断了IL-11蛋白的作用， 该蛋白被认为在细胞和人体组织（包括人类和小鼠）的衰老中发挥作用。库克教授说：“随着小鼠年龄的增长，其体内所有组织中的IL-11基因活性都会增加。”

"When it gets turned on it causes multimorbidity, which is diseases of ageing and loss of function across the whole body, ranging from eyesight to hearing, from muscle to hair, and from the pump function of the heart to the kidneys." Scientists have been trying to find a way of slowing the ageing process in the body so people can remain healthier for longer.

“当该基因被激活时，它会导致多病症，即全身范围内衰老和功能丧失的疾病， 包括从视力到听力、从肌肉到头发、从心脏的泵血功能到肾脏的各种疾病。” 科学家们一直在努力寻找减缓人体衰老过程的方法，以便人们能够保持更长时间的健康状态。

Older people tend to have multiple diseases related to their age, with significant impacts on their quality of life as well as costs to the NHS. A diabetes drug called metformin has also shown promising results in early studies.

老年人往往患有多种与年龄相关的疾病，这些疾病对他们的生活质量产生了重大影响，同时也给英国国家医疗服务体系（NHS）带来了负担。早期研究还显示，一种名为二甲双胍的糖尿病药物也取得了令人鼓舞的结果。

There have also been experiments with severe calorie restriction in people. However, other scientists are sceptical of 'treating' ageing. Ilaria Bellantuono, professor of musculoskeletal ageing at the University of Sheffield, said: "The problem with all these interventions is that we do not have evidence in patients.

也有实验尝试在人类身上进行严格的卡路里限制。然而，其他科学家对“治疗”衰老持怀疑态度。谢菲尔德大学肌肉骨骼衰老学教授伊拉里亚·贝兰图诺说：“所有这些干预措施的问题在于，我们没有患者身上的证据。”

"Although trials are under way in the USA, there are scientific hurdles to overcome to use these interventions in patients, such as understanding who is at risk of frailty and would benefit from the intervention.

“尽管美国正在进行试验，但在患者身上使用这些干预措施还存在科学障碍， 例如了解哪些人容易衰弱以及哪些人会从这些干预措施中受益。”

"It is unthinkable to treat every 50-year-old for the rest of their life. Every drug has side effects and there is a cost associated with it."

“为每个50岁的人终生治疗是不可想象的。每种药物都有副作用，并且都会带来成本。”