Groundbreaking Study Finds Connecting Circulatory Systems of Young and Old Mice Slows Aging and Extends Lifespan
Researchers at Duke Health have made a significant discovery in the field of aging and lifespan extension. Their study, published in Nature Aging, reveals that surgically joining the circulatory systems of young and old mice, a process known as heterochronic parabiosis, can slow cellular aging and extend the lifespan of older mice by up to 10%.
The researchers found that the longer the mice shared circulation, the more enduring the anti-aging effects were to the older mouse. This discovery highlights the potential of young blood’s components to rejuvenate the old, improve physiological abilities, and ultimately extend life.
“This is the first evidence that the process, called heterochronic parabiosis, can slow the pace of aging, which is coupled with the extension in lifespan and health,” said senior author James White, Ph.D., from Duke University School of Medicine and the Duke Aging Center.
Previous studies had already shown the anti-aging benefits of heterochronic parabiosis, but this new study aimed to determine whether these effects were only temporary or more long-lasting. The researchers found that the rejuvenation effect persisted even after a two-month detachment period.
At the cellular level, the parabiosis procedure drastically reduced the epigenetic age of the blood and liver tissue in the older mice. Additionally, gene expression changes opposite to aging were observed, similar to several lifespan-extending interventions such as calorie restriction.
In human terms, the parabiosis exposure would be equivalent to pairing a 50-year-old with an 18-year-old for about eight years, effectively adding eight more years to the person’s lifespan.
However, it is crucial to note that the process of heterochronic parabiosis cannot be replicated in humans due to practical and ethical reasons. Nevertheless, this study opens the door for further exploration of the factors in youthful blood that contribute to the anti-aging phenomenon observed in mice.
“Our work points to a need to explore what factors in the circulation of youthful blood cause this anti-aging phenomenon,” White explained. “The elements that are driving this are what’s important, and they are not yet known.”
The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and involved a team of researchers from Duke Health, including Bohan Zhang, David E. Lee, Alexandre Trapp, Alexander Tyshkovskiy, Ake T. Lu, Akshay Bareja, Csaba Kerepesi, Lauren K. McKay, Anastasia V. Shindyapina, Sergey E. Dmitriev, Gurpreet S. Baht, Steve Horvath, and Vadim N. Gladyshev.
While the potential of this research is exciting, further investigation is needed to determine the specific factors contributing to the anti-aging effects. The researchers hope to uncover whether it is proteins, metabolites, new cells, or other factors that play a role in rejuvenation.