Longevity: A Quest

282 Pages·1981·9.609 MB·English

by  Johan Bjorksten

LONGEVITY
-A QUEST:
SNAS
An Odyssey
by
Johan Bjorksten, Ph.D.
Containing over 700 references related to gerontology.
1981
c/o Bjorksten Research Foundation P.O. Box 9444 Madison, Wisconsin 53715

PREFACE
The slowness of editorial processing has been a major retardant
of scientific progress. For example, the discovery of oxygen has
been credited to Priestley, because the tardiness of Scheele's
publisher delayed the Swedish researcher's publication three critical
years.
From personal experience in recent years, two articles I wrote
for books published by two different leading publishers were delayed
one 3 years, the other 4 years in editorial processing.
This being a common, if not general practice, the delay in
making scientific information available is staggering.
The present book is an attempt to secure more rapid publishing
by using photo reproduction of the original publication wherever
applicable, and modern reproduction methods. This has been made
possible by the permission and cooperation received particularly
from the JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, REJUVENATION,
LIPIDS, JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY, CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES,
and FINSKA KEMISTS. MEDD., which are gratefully acknowledged.
As a result of their cooperation, papers published as recently
as 1981 are included in the bibliographies. This book contains over
700 references related to gerontology, all of them subsequent to Loeb
and Northrop's pioneering paper in 1917*, which strongly indicated
that aging in Drosophila has the temperature coefficient of a
chemical reaction.

* Loeb, J. and Northrop, J.H. On the influence of food and
temperature upon the duration of life. J. Biol. Chem. 32:
103, 1917.
ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Mrs. F. B. Korsgard has worked on our age associated problems
since January 1945, and Dr. R. U. Schenk since 1970. Both have
rendered essential assistance not only in assembling this book, but
also on many of the component publications. To them both I express
my Sincere appreciation.
I greatly appreciate the permission to reprint copyrighted
material granted us by the many journals in which we have published.
For the financial support in our studies on aging, which are
the subject of this book project, I am indebted to Mr. Paul F. Glenn,
Mr. Robert S. Morrison, the Paul F. Glenn Foundation, Mr. and Mrs.
Martin Hilby, Mrs. Stanley J. Buckman, Mr. and Mrs. Marc A. Chavannes,
Mr. Peter A. Benoliel, Mr. Lucius E. Burch, Dr. Floyd A. Eberly, and
Dr. Myron A. Coler.
I am further indebted to all those other 135 persons who have
contributed towards the research on which this book is based.
1ii

CONTENTS
Page
Preface
1
Acknowledgements
iii
How It All Began 1
From Theory to Experiment 3
Mechanical Influence Upon Tanning Johan Bjorksten 4
and William J. Champion
Guiding Principles
6
The Time Factor in Gerontological Research Johan 7
Bjorksten
Causal Relationship
9
Fundamentals of Aging: A Comparison of the Mortality 10
Curve for Humans with a Viscosity Curve of Gelatin
During the Cross-Linking Reaction Johan Bjorksten
and Fred Andrews
Fundamentals of Aging: Immobilization of Proteins in 16
Whole-Body Irradiated White Rats Johan Bjorksten,
Fred Andrews, Julia Bailey and Bruce Trenk
Chemical Mechanisms Underlying the Biological 27
Mechanisms of the Aging Process Johan Bjorksten and
Fred Andrews
Protein Insolubilization
32
Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride as a Tool in Studying Cross- 33
Linkages in Proteinaceous Substances Accumulating with
Age Johan Bjorksten, Fred A. Andrews and Helmut F.
Prahl
A Rapid Detection of Physiological Aging Effects 4]
Contents
Page
A Method for Determining the Gerolytic Efficacy of 42
Enzymes Johan Bjorksten
Frozen Metabolic Pool 44
The Freezing Pool: A Unified Sequence of the Aging 45
Process Hans Zinsser, Johan Bjorksten, E.M. Bruck,
Richard F. Baker, Leslie Kaeburn, Jean Kinnear, Anna
Cohen, Fred Andrews, Izak Sarfati and Igo Light
Nitrogenous Compounds Immobilized in an Aged Rat 69
Johan Bjorksten and Stephen Ashman
Gerogenic Fractions in the Tritiated Rat Johan 78
Bjorksten, P.V.N. Acharya, Stephen Ashman and Donald
B. Wetlaufer
Crosslinked Network 92
Life Span Potential Estimates and Strategy Formulation 93
Limits of Human Life Extension as Indicated by a 94
Statistical Approach Johan Bjorksten
Short Term Strategy 97
The Enzyme Approach 97
Study of Low Molecular Weight Proteolytic Enzymes 98
Johan Bjorksten, Elliott R. Weyer and Stephen M.
Ashman
The Search for Microenzymes: The Enzyme of Bacillus 117
cereus R. U. Schenk and J. Bjorksten
Molecular Size Limitations 138
Pathways to the Decisive Extension of the Human 139
Specific Lifespan Johan Bjorksten
Modulated Reaction Rates 143
Contents
Page
The Crosslinkage Theory of Aging 144
Short Term Goals - Chelation 160
Possibilities and Limitations of Chelation as a Means 16]
for Life Extension Johan Bjorksten
In Vitro Study of Focused Chelating Techniques for 167
Metal-Containing Aggregates Implicated in Senile
Dementia Johan Bjorksten, Luther L. Yaeger and
Roy U. Schenk
Antioxidants - Free Radical Scavengers 170
A Chemical Model of Ultraviolet Radiation Effects on 171
Skin Collagen Johan Bjorksten and Thomas Collbring
Cross-Linking of Collagen in the Presence of Oxidizing 176
Lipid F. Sundholm, A. Visapaa and Johan Bjorksten
Harnessing Free Radicals 179
The Theoretical Base for the Anti-Infective Function 180
of Ascorbic Acid Johan Bjorksten
Antioxidants and Longevity 184
The Primary Cause of the High Myocardiac Death Rate 185
in Eastern Finland Defined as Selenium Deficiency
Johan Bjorksten
Optimization of the Antioxidant System in a Dietary 191
Supplement Luther L. Yaeger and Johan Bjorksten
The Place of Vitamin E in the Quest for Longevity 198
Johan Bjorksten
Longevity Limiting Factors 213
Aluminum in Degenerative Disease Johan Bjorksten 214
Contents
Page
Extraction of Aluminum from Aorta Tissues by Chelating 223
Agents and Lactic Acid Roy U. Schenk, Johan
Bjorksten, Robert Lipert and Molly Mortell
The Crosslinkage Theory of Aging as a Predictive 231
Indicator Johan Bjorksten
Cross-Linking Related Dehydration 239
The Multiplicity of Causes of Death as a Determinant of 240
Longevity Johan Bjorksten
Introduction 240
I. Is there a pre-determined time of death? 241
Phosphofructokinase - a possible pivot 242
II. Multiple unconnected death causes 244
The organics 247
Outlook 248
References 250
The Sum of It All Johan Bjorksten 252
Premises | 252
Crosslinkage 253
Free Radicals 254
Derivatives of the Primary Processes 255
Preventive Possibilities 255
References 257
Author Index 258