Do flexibility exercises (even biking) help slow down accumulation of muscle crosslinks?

#1

They can’t biochemically do it but maybe they make the body less prone to becoming super-rigid over time?

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#2

It’s a very interesting topic.

Enzymes that target crosslinks, particularly in proteins or tissues, are an area of active research. Some enzymes that have been studied for their ability to modify or break crosslinks include:

  1. Transglutaminases: These enzymes catalyze the formation of crosslinks between proteins, but they can also be studied for their role in modifying existing crosslinks.
  2. Matrix Metalloproteinases (MMPs): These enzymes degrade components of the extracellular matrix, including collagen, which can help break down crosslinked structures in tissues.
  3. Lysyl Oxidase (LOX): While LOX is primarily involved in forming crosslinks in collagen and elastin, its activity can be modulated to influence crosslinking processes.
  4. AGE-Breakers: alagebrium (ALT-711) - didn’t show success in human trials

(Copilot search).

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#3

Theoretically alagebrium can still be good but it seems like it needs to be combined with something more to break down AGEs.

Just going through the book Ending Aging by Aubrey de Grey and in Chapter 9 he speaks about AGEs. Really successful in animal studies. Human trials did show some AGE breaking benefits, but it didn’t show success in the disease models they were targeting to get the drug approved for humans.

“Alagebrium wasn’t expected to prevent new bonds from forming between sugars and proteins, so it was no surprise that the withdrawal of the drug was followed by the loss of these gains once the gradual molecular manacling of the monkeys’ tissues was no longer being counteracted by an even more rapid breaking of those bonds. Within a few weeks of the peak of their alagebrium-induced return to more youthful suppleness, the monkeys’ arteries were once again as stiff as they had been in the initial run-up to the study. Their hearts held onto their gains a little longer than the arteries, but then they too began tending to fall back into their old recalcitrance. Quitting the drug didn’t leave the monkeys any worse than they had been to begin with—but it was clear that the AGE links being broken by alagebrium could be quickly reforged.”

To me this indicates that it starts the process but it needs something more to properly break the AGE links.

Another drug worth doing lifespan tests on IMO.

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