The structure and function of cells, as measured by DNA, free radical signaling, metabolism at the mitochondrial level, telomere length, and other areas, is a promising frontier for researchers in the dietary supplements space. Clinical studies are seeking to understand how food components can affect biological age, and perhaps, even turn back some of the biological clocks – biomarkers tied to age-related health conditions.  
 
The newly-founded supplement brand SRW Laboratories (short for Science Research Wellness), led by founder Greg Macpherson, recently launched its first full line of targeted cellular health supplements alongside a team of scientists which includes researcher Dr. Naji Abumrad. The company discussed how its Cellular System portfolio of three products target the effects of aging.
 
Macpherson, a pharmacist, biotechnologist, and cellular health expert, has worked to create a brand which can encompass various nutritional areas which can have an effect on aging, which is the premise for his newly-released book “Harnessing the Nine Hallmarks of Aging.” SRW was then founded on the premise of helping people to succeed at aging well based on a host of cellular health targets which have been identified by contemporary research.
 
“Up until now we’ve aged fairly well with basic lifestyle management and a little luck,” Macpherson said. “Today, we have the precise tools to take it to another level – the cellular level. Using the nine hallmarks of aging, or identified causes of aging, we can literally reprogram our cells to function at a much younger biological age than our current chronological age. No other generation has had this technology available to them.”
 
How Well Are Your Cells?
The product line features a relatively novel ingredient known as hobamine (2-HOBA), an antioxidant found in the highest natural concentrations in Himalayan Tartary Buckwheat. 2-HOBA was discovered by Vanderbilt University scientists through research spearheaded by Abumrad, who is now an SRW team member. To date, only one other supplement on the market contains this distinguished antioxidant, according to SRW.
 
“The discovery of Hobamine (2-hydroxy-benzyl amine; aka 2-HOBA) and its effective beneficial effects necessitates a complete understanding of the role that lipid aldehydes play in the development of various disease processes,” Abumrad said. “Several investigators, dating back to the mid-1980s have discovered the formation of various free radicals, the most notorious of which are called Isolevuglandins (IsoLGs) that rapidly react with various proteins and nucleic acids causing damage to many cellular components in the body.”
 
Investigators found that IsoLGs accumulate and cause damage in a wide variety of disease states, Abumrad said, including neurodegenerative diseases. “The same investigators sought therapeutic strategies to arrest the damage caused by IsoLGs,” he added, and while strategies to target the formation of these free radicals failed, the investigators developed an alternative successful strategy to develop small molecules that can react more rapidly and trap the IsoLGs formed, thus preventing cellular damage.
 
“In the early 2000s investigators at Vanderbilt developed 2-HOBA (Hobamine) and found it to be the most effective at blocking the formation of IsoLG protein adducts in platelets and other cells,” Abumrad said. “The seminal papers were published in 2004 (Amarnath, et al.) and 2006 (Davies, et al.). Soon thereafter, it was found that hobamine was a natural component of buckwheat, with the highest concentration found in Tartary buckwheat. Synthesis of hobamine led to testing in arresting the development and occasional reversal of many of the biochemical and molecular abnormalities found in chronic diseases mentioned above. Metabolic Technologies, Inc. obtained the worldwide rights for hobamine and carried out and established safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetic studies for hobamine in animals and later in humans, both in young and older adults and these were recently published (2019-2021). These studies led the way for obtaining GRAS (generally recognized as safe) affirmation for hobamine, and there are several ongoing studies examining the efficacy in various disease states in humans.”
 
Specific disease states that Abumrad mentioned, for which there is ongoing clinical research being done, include hypertension, arrhythmias, atherosclerosis, obesity, lung injury, cancer, blood disorders (particularly those effecting platelets), chronic kidney disease, eye disease, and several neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s.
 
“Hobamine is part of a new class of cellular protectors that researchers have been investigating, known as reactive carbonyl species (RCS) scavengers,” MacPherson added, noting that beyond the challenge of establishing that IsoLGs are more present in disease tissues, establishing causation beyond the correlation, and developing and testing molecules which might target IsoLG activity took significant research investment. “While free radicals cause damage to cellular components they really only light the fuse. The real damage occurs when lipids are oxidized and form reactive carbonyl species. The byproducts of lipid peroxidation are highly reactive isolevuglandins that bond very quickly and irreversibly with critical cell components like proteins and DNA. These isoLG-protein/DNA-adducts interfere with cell function, are immunogenic and in many cases are unable to be broken down and removed from the cell leading to persistent cell damage that accumulates over time.”
 
In addition to overall diet, intermittent fasting, exercise, stress reduction, and sleep, dietary interventions have also been revealed to potentially support DNA repair mechanisms, and these interventions were the foundation behind the company’s line of products, which includes Cel¹ Stability, Cel² Nourishment, and Cel³ Renewal. The overall age of cells, as determined by DNA testing which reveals how “old” a cell is acting, can be vastly different from what is normally associated with a certain chronological age.
 
The first supplement, which contains clinically-relevant dosages of hobamine, astragaloside, and rutin, is formulated to support DNA structure and function in the presence of stress factors such as lack of sleep, poor diet, excessive stress, or exposure to UV and pollution. The second supplement, which contains nicotinamide mononucleotide, pterostilbene, and astaxanthin, is designed to serve as a precursor used in mitochondrial metabolism for energy support. The third supplement, an antioxidant-flavonoid blend containing fisetin, apigenin, oleuropein, berberine, and EGCG, is designed to support the “cellular housekeeping process,” or the metabolic processes by which the body clears out and recycles senescent cells that are no longer useful.
 
Macpherson said that optimal times to begin supplementation with a variety of the active ingredients can vary. An ideal time to being taking hobamine would be in ones twenties, he said. “Just like we apply sunscreen to our faces over the course of a lifetime to slow the effect of chronic UV exposure on our appearance, supplementing with hobamine during the course of a lifetime helps to slow the irreversible effects of free radical damage across all tissue types. NAD is a critical enzyme involved in over 500 cellular processes. NAD levels decline precipitously from our late 30s and beyond. The perfect time to start supplementing with NMN is in your 40s, or earlier, if you have a condition associated with mitochondrial dysfunction or have high levels of oxidative stress putting pressure on DNA structure and function. For those in their 50s and beyond, it is becoming increasingly clear that the addition of natural senolytics like fisetin into their supplement regime will lower the inflammatory burden of senescent cells that accumulate with age and will also support a healthy inflammatory response to infections.”