Protein From the Blood of Young Mice Found to Extend Lifespan of Older Mice

A study at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis published in Cell Metabolism found older mice infused with a specific protein from the blood of younger mice live longer and exhibit more youthful traits, reports New Atlas . The study concerns nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), which is critical for healthy energy metabolism, and whose levels decline in all tissues as the body ages. "Many researchers are interested in finding anti-aging interventions that might maintain NAD levels as we get older," says Washington University's Shin-ichiro Imai. The research suggests the eNAMPT protein, which circulates in the blood and plays a basic role in NAD biosynthesis, could be the underlying mechanism for this effect. "That we can take eNAMPT from the blood of young mice and give it to older mice and see that the older mice show marked improvements in health — including increased physical activity and better sleep — is remarkable," Imai notes. The team also used circulating eNAMPT levels to predict the overall lifespan of individual mice. The more eNAMPT detected in the blood, the longer the specimen ultimately lived.