New Compound Found In Pig’s Blood Can Reverse Age In Rats: Study – News18

A study has claimed that a new therapeutic developed from compounds found in pig’s blood can reverse the age in rats. The anti-ageing therapeutic dubbed E5 was developed from the blood of a young pig injected into ageing rats, according to a new study published recently in the journal GeroScience.

Researchers including those from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) said that E5 which consists of complex nanoparticles and young plasma sourced from pigs, could reverse the biological clocks of the rates by nearly 70 per cent on average.

The scientists have claimed that if the results can be translated to humans then it could mean that an 80-year-old can be reversed to the age of 26. The study’s co-author Steve Horvath said in a statement that he initially could hardly believe the profound epigenetic rejuvenation effects of E5. “However, our findings are robustly supported by parallel rodent studies from different labs,” he added.

In the research, scientists found that when the pig blood treatment was applied to various rat tissues, it also appeared to reverse the biological age of the blood, liver and heart. There was also a statistically significant rejuvenation effect on the brain’s hypothalamus.

The researchers witnessed progressive improvement in the function of these organs along with behavioural and cognitive improvements. The overall finding in the study suggested that a young porcine plasma-derived treatment markedly reverses ageing in rats.

“We found the plasma fraction treatment consistently effective in both male and female rats, drastically reducing the epigenetic age of multiple rat tissues,” researchers said.

The results offered new insights into the shared biological mechanisms across mammal species. The researchers said that there is room for optimism even though the treatment is yet to be under human trials.

If the treatment is successful in future, there could be a possibility of using rejuvenation to systemically reduce disease onset risk rather than treating them individually. Scientists have also asserted that the markers of ageing currently observed in rats can differ in values and patterns compared to humans.

“What may be detrimental in one species could be inconsequential in another,” they said. They also indicated that this could be the reason why numerous treatments are not effective and don’t transition from rodents to humans.