Can aging be slowed down? Photo credit: – / Wavebreak / Profimedia
A new study offers an interesting perspective on potential therapies that can slow down the aging process. Researchers have explored in preclinical experiments a two-component therapeutic strategy aimed at counteracting the biological changes associated with age, reports News.ro.
Scientists have found that a combination of oxytocin and an Alk5 inhibitor can significantly extend lifespan and improve overall health in aged male mice, pointing to a promising direction for the development of treatments aimed at maintaining vitality in old age.
A study recently published in the journal Aging shows that combining oxytocin with the Alk5 inhibitor, (OT+A5i), had spectacular effects on lifespan and health in aged male mice, but not in female mice.
The research team at the University of California, Berkeley, demonstrated that the treatment produced pronounced rejuvenating effects in males, suggesting that biological differences between the sexes may influence how anti-aging therapies work.
Remarkable results from the experiment
Researchers have explored a two-pronged therapeutic strategy designed to counteract the biological changes associated with age. Oxytocin, a hormone involved in tissue regeneration that naturally declines with age, was combined with an Alk5 inhibitor, which blocks the TGF-beta pathway, a mechanism that becomes overactive in the aging body and contributes to chronic inflammation and tissue degradation.
In the experiment, male mice aged 25 months (equivalent to about 75 years in humans) received the treatment regularly.
The results were remarkable: the treated mice lived more than 70% longer than the untreated ones and experienced significant improvements in strength, agility and memory. Statistical analysis showed that the treated mice had an almost three times lower risk of dying during the study period. In addition, the researchers observed a reduction in so-called “biological noise” in blood proteins, an indicator of aging, which returned to levels close to those of young specimens.
A valuable model for future research
Short-term effects were seen in both sexes, but only males maintained long-term benefits, while females did not show significant increases in lifespan or overall health. However, middle-aged female mice had improved fertility after treatment.
These findings emphasize the importance of deepening the knowledge of the biological differences between the sexes in the development of anti-aging therapies. Although the exact mechanisms of these variations are not yet fully elucidated, the study provides a valuable model for future research.
Oxytocin is already approved by health regulators for other medical uses, and Alk5 inhibitors are currently in clinical trials, opening the possibility that the OT+A5i treatment combination could be adapted for humans in the future, representing a promising step in improving health and longevity in old age.
