Fruit flies live longer on lithium

Fruit flies live 16% longer than average when given low doses of the mood stabiliser lithium, according to a UCL-led study. How lithium stabilises mood is poorly understood but when the scientists investigated how it prolongs the lives of flies, they discovered a new drug target that could slow ageing - a molecule called glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3). "To improve our quality and length of life we must delay the onset of age-related diseases by extending the healthiest period of our lives. Identifying a drug target for ageing is a crucial step in achieving this and by targeting GSK-3, we could discover new ways of controlling the ageing process in mammals, including humans," explained lead researcher, Dr Jorge Iván Castillo-Quan, previously at UCL Institute of Healthy Ageing, now at Harvard Medical School. The team found that lithium delays ageing by blocking GSK-3 and activating another molecule called NRF-2, which is found in worms, flies and mammals (including humans) and is important for defending cells against damage. According to the scientists, GSK-3 could be a target for drugs to control ageing. The study, published today in Cell Reports , shows that male and female flies live longer than average when given low doses of lithium during adulthood or later in life, regardless of their genetic make-up.