Anti-Aging Molecule Creates Incredible Change In Lab Tests
Recently reported by Nature, scientists have found that an anti-aging molecule called spermidine could be a promising new way to treat fertility issues in women.
Spermidine is a molecule scientists first discovered as a part of a sperm cell, but now it is known that the molecule functions in many different types of cells. Spermidine has been proven to expand the lifespan of flies, worms, and even human immune cells.
Spermidine has also been used for anti-aging health in lab animals. It has helped reduce the occurrences of cardiovascular disease in mice and shown to curve the prevalence of cognitive decline in fruit flies.
Only recently, have scientists uncovered spermidine’s effects on aging oocytes. Oocyte is another term used by scientists to refer to a female’s egg. An aging egg has a harder time developing properly into an ovum (or mature egg).
Xiong and his team of researchers are now set to test their spermidine theories on human oocytes in a lab.
As an oocyte and the follicles (the structure that holds a developing egg in a female) grow older, their ability to create a clean, undamaged blastocyte (ball of developing cells that forms an embryo) diminishes. Spermidine acts as an anti-aging molecule by slowing the degradation process of oocytes and follicles.
Through the addition of spermidine in lab mice, Bo Xiong, a reproductive biologist from Nanjing Agricultural University in China, discovered that whether through injection or ingestion, administering the proper dosage of spermidine to aging mice caused their oocytes and follicles to perk up.
Though the anti-aging molecule is naturally occurring in humans, scientists have to figure out the right dosage of the treatment.
The oocytes in mice treated with the anti-aging dose of spermidine were of higher quality, and the treated mice had more follicles. The aging mice that received the treatment produced nearly double the number of babies they birthed for each litter.
The treated mice also had a lower number of birth defects. Evidence pointed towards the spermidine treatment granting a stronger ability for the mitochondria of the developing oocytes to more efficiently clear away damaged parts of the cell during formation.
The news of such an anti-aging treatment could be groundbreaking for the future of fertility treatment in women today. However, the treatment is a long way from being available to the public. Researchers still have a lot of testing to do before it can be trusted for use in humans.
Though the anti-aging molecule is naturally occurring in humans, scientists have to figure out the right dosage of the treatment. Too much spermidine showed signs of complicating the aging process rather than reversing it, so dosage is a key point for researchers.
Xiong and his team of researchers are now set to test their spermidine theories on human oocytes in a lab. The team will need to work through some precise clinical trials to iron out any concerns when applying their theory to human fertility.
Scientists have discovered an anti-aging molecule found in sperm cells could help with women’s fertility.
Scientists will need to make sure the anti-aging fertility treatment doesn’t negatively impact other processes in the human body and that other organs in the body are not compromised.
Though spermidine treatments may be years from being a regular offer to patients, the news of its discovered effects on various reproductive elements in the body brings a hopeful light to women in search of fertility enhancement.
