Anti-Aging Cocktail Increases Mouse Lifespan by About 30%

European researchers tested a drug combination with anti-aging potential in mice and found that it increased the animals’ lifespan by approximately 30%. In addition to living longer, the mice also remained healthier for more time, showing reduced chronic inflammation and a delayed onset of cancer.

A Drug Duo With a History in Cancer Treatment

The cocktail includes two well-known substances: rapamycin and trametinib, both currently used to treat different types of cancer. Rapamycin is also used to prevent transplant rejection and had already shown potential for extending lifespan in animal studies. Trametinib, meanwhile, had proven effective at increasing the lifespan of fruit flies, but its effects in larger animals were still unknown.

In the new study, led by scientists from the Max Planck Institute in Germany, researchers investigated the impact of each drug individually and in combination on the longevity of mice.

Rapamycin alone extended the animals’ lifespan by 17% to 18%. Trametinib also produced positive results, increasing longevity by 7% to 16%. However, when the two were combined, the mice experienced a significant increase in lifespan — between 26% and 35%.

Importantly, the additional lifespan wasn’t marked by greater frailty or illness. The combination treatment delayed the appearance of liver and spleen tumors and reduced age-related inflammation in organs such as the brain, kidneys, spleen, and muscles. The treated mice were also more physically active at older ages, had lower body weight, and experienced a slower decline in heart function.

Human Potential Lies More in Quality of Life

Although these results are promising, it doesn’t mean we’ll be taking anti-aging pills and living to 130 anytime soon. The greatest potential may lie in improving the quality of life during old age.

“We don’t expect to see a similar extension of human lifespan as we found in mice,” says geneticist Linda Partridge, co-author of the study. “But we hope that the drugs we’re studying can help people stay healthier and disease-free longer into old age.”

To conduct the research, scientists administered regular doses of rapamycin, trametinib, or both to hundreds of mice starting at six months of age, monitoring them for the rest of their lives. While both drugs showed benefits on their own, the combination produced the best results.

Median lifespan increased by 34.9% in female mice and 27.4% in males. Maximum lifespan increased by 32.4% in females and 26.1% in males.

The Combination’s Effect Goes Beyond Just a Higher Dose

The researchers explain that the positive effects weren’t simply due to a higher overall dose. Although both drugs act on the same cellular signaling pathway — known as the Ras/Insulin/TOR network — they target different parts of the process. The researchers observed certain gene expression changes only when they administered both drugs together.

Encouragingly, the researchers did not observe any additional side effects from the combination beyond those already known for each drug individually.

Researchers may soon begin human trials of the drug combination, since health authorities in the United States and European Union have already approved both medications for human use. Previous studies have already suggested potential anti-aging effects — for instance, one recent study showed that rapamycin extended fertility in perimenopausal women by up to five years.

Read the original article on: Science Alert

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