X-Message-Number: 24433 Date: Sun, 25 Jul 2004 09:35:31 -0400 From: Thomas Donaldson <> Subject: re: epithalamin (in Skrecky's msg 24429) Hi Cryonetters! One of the main substances discussed by the paper discussed by Doug Skrecky is epithalamin. I am now (in the middle of other things, so I'm now pretty busy) preparing an Update to the melatonin chapter of my book A GUIDE TO ANTIAGING DRUGS. There are other Updates on the way, too. However epithalamin does pass the test I use for discussion in a full chapter: there is an animal experiment with a healthy mammal (sorry, Skrecky, but fruit flies aren't mammals) which shows a lifespan increase. Thymalin also has such an experiment, and I hope to provide an Update which will give one more chapter to the book. This may take longer; a lot of the work on Thymalin (actually a trade name) is in Russian, which I can't read. There is a english book on both and generally on antiaging peptides which I have sent for and hope to eventually receive: both sending and receiving were by ordinary mail and may take a while. Epithalamin doesn't get its own full chapter because it's closely related to melatonin --- for the same reasons as I did not devote a chapter to each of the antioxidants which passed my test. Incidentally, the test of these drugs on human subjects is interesting. However it isn't as strong as a full lifespan test. Suppose that the same test, using a similar fraction of the lifespan of mice, were done on a population of mice. Certainly such a test would SUGGEST that the drug would increase the full lifespan of the mice, but not prove it. Right now I'm busy with the next issue of PERIASTRON. I will send a message to Cryonet, which I hope will duly appear on Cryonet, telling when the Updates are ready. The last Update was in 1999; even though lots of research continued on aging, lifespan tests passing my criterion have been rare. But now we have something. Best wishes and long long life to all, Thomas Donaldson Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=24433