獼猴和人類的衰老有許多類似之處,，對這些猴子變老過程的進(jìn)一步研究也許能加速以改善人類生命的質(zhì)量和長短為目的的研究,。一篇綜述的作者指出，雖然獼猴以比人類衰老的速度快大約3倍,，但是老年人類和衰老獼猴在生理和行為上有許多類似之處,，包括近距離視力和骨密度的降低、精細(xì)動作能力的減退,、以及腹部脂肪的增加,。獼猴也可能具有類似阿爾茨海默氏癥的癥狀，表現(xiàn)出人類衰老中具有的荷爾蒙變化,，或是死于人類常見的與衰老有關(guān)的慢性病,。作者寫道，隨著治療帕金森癥和其他與衰老有關(guān)的腦疾病的干細(xì)胞療法的出現(xiàn),，獼猴也可能成為評估這些療法成功與否的模式動物,。
Aging in Rhesus Monkeys: Relevance to Human Health Interventions
Progress in gerontological research has been promoted through the use of numerous animal models, which have helped identify possible mechanisms of aging and age-related chronic diseases and evaluate possible interventions with potential relevance to human aging and disease. Further development of nonhuman primate models, particularly rhesus monkeys, could accelerate this progress, because their closer genetic relationship to humans produces a highly similar aging phenotype. Because the relatively long lives of primates increase the administrative and economic demands on research involving them, new emphasis has emerged on increasing the efficient use of these valuable resources through cooperative, interdisciplinary research.
Fig. 1. (A) A 19-year-old male rhesus monkey weighing 13.6 kg on the control diet. (B) A 19-year-old male rhesus monkey weighing 7.9 kg on CR for 17 years. Notably, the CR monkey generally appears smaller. (C) A 38-year-old (estimated age) male rhesus monkey weighing 6.8 kg on CR for 17 years. This monkey is one of three in the NIA study for which the exact birth date was unknown, but he first arrived at NIH in July 1968 with an estimated age of 4 to 8 years on the basis of body size and dentition. He was placed on CR in 1987. He died 18 April 2004 at a minimal estimated age of 40 years, but he could have been as old as 44 years, making him one of the oldest recorded of this species. This monkey had stooped posture, loss of hair, and wrinkled and sagging skin with broken blood vessels, and he exhibited arthritis, osteoporosis, and cataracts.
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