A team of researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, led by Professor Irina Conboy, has developed a therapy capable of significantly extending lifespan and improving health in elderly mice. The work is published in the journal Aging.
The experiment was conducted on mice aged 25 months, which is approximately equivalent to 75 human years. The animals regularly received a combination of two substances: oxytocin (a hormone involved in tissue regeneration) and Alk5 inhibitor (which blocks inflammatory processes that increase with age). The control group of old mice did not receive treatment, allowing researchers to accurately assess the effect of the therapy.
As a result, the males receiving the combination lived 73% longer than the animals in the control group. Their physical endurance, mobility, and memory significantly improved. Researchers also noted a decrease in the so-called biological noise in the composition of blood proteins — an indicator reflecting aging processes. After treatment, this parameter returned to levels characteristic of young animals.
Short-term improvements were also observed in females; however, after four months of continuous treatment, the positive effect was maintained only in males. Females did not show an increase in lifespan or improvement in overall condition, although increased fertility was noted in middle-aged individuals.
Researchers emphasize that the data obtained indicate the importance of considering sex differences when developing anti-aging drugs. While the reasons for the sex-selective effect remain unclear, the authors believe it may be related to hormonal characteristics, differences in metabolism, or immune system function.
Oxytocin is already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), while Alk5 inhibitors are undergoing clinical trials. According to the scientists, this creates a basis for moving towards human therapy trials.
