Picture this. You're 120 years old and you still expect to live for at least the next 60 years, unless, of course, you die of accidents.

This may happen if the experiment on the effect of anti-oxidant drugs holds true to humans as they did to mice.

The study of Simon Melov, a molecular gerontologist at the Buck Institute of age Research in Novato, California indicated that anti-oxidant drugs have quadrupled the life span of mice genetically engineered to live a week.

The results of this study may represent a step toward unlocking the secrets of aging, researchers say.

Published in the Journal of Neuroscience, the study showed for the first time how these drugs can work in making the mammals live longer. "We are starting to have a very good understanding of the types of damage that can arise in the aging process," Melov said.

This experiment was based on Melov's study on the effect of anti-oxidants on the life span of nematods.

Many scientists believe that aging, a modern day concern, is associated with oxidation, a chemical reaction that can damage DNA, leading sometimes to cancer, and other diseases. It also causes metals to rust.

The research attempted to arrest aging by using anti-oxidants, which included Vitamins C and E.

In the study, Melov genetically engineered the mice to undergo a form of oxidative damage and without drugs so that it would live about a week. This allowed the researchers to quickly see the results.

Melov explained that the drugs worked by zeroing in on so-called free radicals --- toxic molecules produced in every cell in the body that are necessary pollutants in burning energy. The anti-oxidant compounds move into cells and even into the mitochondria --- the centers of metabolism --- to counter the aging effects wrought by free radicals.

"What this paper shows is these drugs are very effective against preventing oxidative damage in the brain," Melov said. "That may have utility in diseases like Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease."

Melov, however, cautioned that it was one thing to extend the life of a genetically engineered mouse and another to make humans live longer.

He said the next step in the research would be to use anti-oxidants in normal use.

"If the evidence continues to accumulate in relation to the effectiveness of these drugs against free radical damage related to aging, then I don't think its an improbable prediction that they will be effective in prolonging life span in mammals."