Fountain of Youth

Seems a bit hokey, but it seems like some researchers have reversed some of the aging effects in mice!

The fountain of youth might not be made of water after all.

Three new studies describe how the blood of young mice may help rejuvenate the brains and muscle tissues of older mice. For now, it has only been tried in rodents, but this line of research might one day lead to therapies for medical conditions often found in aging humans.

…Two studies, both in Science, focused on a protein called GDF11, which, in its mature form, is identical in mice and humans, Wagers said.

“By boosting the levels of GDF11, we could, in mice, see a restoration of the ability of muscle to repair itself after injury,” she said.

Among the wondrous apparent benefits of this protein: In a resting state the muscles of older mice were structurally improved, and they could generate more force when pulling on a bar, too.

…Researchers also saw benefits of injecting old mice with the plasma of young mice. These old mice performed better on a maze test — in which they had to find a hidden platform in a container with water — than old mice who got plasma from other old mice, or who were not injected.

In another test, researchers trained mice to freeze in place in a particular environment. This fear response lasted longer in mice who more easily recognized the environment. Older mice who received young plasma did better on this test after receiving young plasma, but not old plasma.

It is possible that GDF11 in the plasma could be responsible for these results as well, but that has yet to be investigated, Wagers said.

Very interesting. We’ll see where this goes looking forward!

H/T C-90