Once again on rapamycin-induced insulin resistance and longevity: despite of or owing to

Aging (Albany NY). 2012 May;4(5):350-8. doi: 10.18632/aging.100461.

Abstract

Calorie restriction (CR), which deactivates the nutrient-sensing mTOR pathway, slows down aging and prevents age-related diseases such as type II diabetes. Compared with CR, rapamycin more efficiently inhibits mTOR. Noteworthy, severe CR and starvation cause a reversible condition known as "starvation diabetes." As was already discussed, chronic administration of rapamycin can cause a similar condition in some animal models. A recent paper published in Science reported that chronic treatment with rapamycin causes a diabetes-like condition in mice by indirectly inhibiting mTOR complex 2. Here I introduce the notion of benevolent diabetes and discuss whether starvation-like effects of chronic high dose treatment with rapamycin are an obstacle for its use as an anti-aging drug.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Aging / drug effects*
  • Animals
  • Caloric Restriction
  • Diabetes Mellitus / chemically induced*
  • Humans
  • Insulin Resistance*
  • Sirolimus / pharmacology*
  • Starvation / metabolism
  • TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases / antagonists & inhibitors*

Substances

  • TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases
  • Sirolimus