Treatment with male hormones reduces the progression of the so-called telomere disease in 100% of patients, promoting an effective improvement in symptoms. This is what a clinical study conducted by scientists at the Center for Cell Therapy (CTC) shows. The results of the survey were published in the haematologica journal.
This clinical condition can be caused by a set of rare genetic diseases (telomeropathies) that affects, on average, one person in each group of 1 million and causes accelerated shortening of telomeres – structures formed by DNA located at the ends of chromosomes.
The shortening of telomeres causes some cells, such as those in the blood, to age rapidly and die sooner, before they can be replaced. One of the consequences is the reduced ability of the bone marrow to produce different types of blood cells, leading to the need for frequent transfusions or even a bone marrow transplant.
The accentuated shortening of telomeres can also affect organs such as the lung (pulmonary fibrosis) and liver (hepatic cirrhosis), with no specific treatment to date.
“The great innovation of this study is the attempt to identify a new form of treatment, some medication that can prevent this early shortening or even lengthen the telomeres”, comments Diego Villa Clé, medical director of the Blood Center of Ribeirão Preto and first author of the article .
The work was carried out within the scope of a project supported by the São Paulo Research Foundation (Fapesp) and coordinated by hematologist Rodrigo Calado, professor at the Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto at the University of São Paulo (USP) and member of the CTC – a Fapesp Research, Innovation and Dissemination Center (Cepid).
The 17 participants underwent treatment with nandrolone, a synthetic version of the male sex hormone testosterone, for two years. In addition to preventing telomere shortening in 100% of cases, it was possible to notice an increase in these chromosomal structures in some volunteers.
“Almost 70% of the patients who had spinal cord involvement had, at the end of the second year, an improvement in the blood count. The vast majority of those who depended on transfusions stopped transfusing and, in the seven patients with pulmonary fibrosis, lung function stabilized throughout the treatment”, says Villa Clé in a video released by TV Hemocentro de Ribeirão Preto.
Source: CNN Brasil
I am an experienced journalist and writer with a career in the news industry. My focus is on covering Top News stories for World Stock Market, where I provide comprehensive analysis and commentary on markets around the world. I have expertise in writing both long-form articles and shorter pieces that deliver timely, relevant updates to readers.
%20(1).jpg "Giorgio then: “In splinters I speak of the explosions that cannot be checked: the death of my father and the end of a long relationship”")
