The Old Blood

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Past research discovered that giving the blood of young mice to their elders rejuvenated rodents and reversed signs of aging.

Recently, scientists discovered that the opposite is also true, New Scientist reported.

Researcher Irina Conboy and her team transfused three-month-old mice with the blood from two-year-old mice to determine how it impacted the youngsters.

The changes were very noticeable, they wrote.

After two weeks, researchers spotted an increased number of senescent cells in the younger mammals. They explained that these cells – found in the liver, kidney and muscles – accumulate as a normal part of aging. While they are not dead, senescent cells are damaged and stop dividing.

The team also saw that the older blood impacted the younger mice’s performance: Strength tests showed juvenile rodents were weaker.

Conboy explained that the findings suggest that cellular aging isn’t just a case of wear and tear.

“Cell senescence is only part of the process of aging,” she said. “That opens new horizons and helps explain why senolytics (drugs that clear senescent cells in the body) so far in clinical trials were less successful than people hoped.”

The authors said the experiment can enhance future research in tackling health issues related to aging and the development of anti-aging treatments.