X-Message-Number: 25698
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2005 05:20:42 -0800 (PST)
From: Doug Skrecky <>
Subject: ovaries are one pacemaker for aging

[Intrinsic theories of aging imply that senescence of tissues is mostly
independant of the rest of the organism. Extrinsic theories emphasize that
most of what we can aging is dependant on aging hormonally active organs
negatively influencing the rest of the organism. My money is on the
extrinsic theories being nearer the mark.]

Aging Cell. 2003 Jun;2(3):185-90
Age of ovary determines remaining life expectancy in old ovariectomized mice.
  We investigated the capacity of young ovaries, transplanted into old
ovariectomized CBA mice, to improve remaining life expectancy of the
hosts. Donor females were sexually mature 2-month-olds; recipients were
prepubertally ovariectomized at 3 weeks and received transplants at 5, 8
or 11 months of age. Relative to ovariectomized control females, life
expectancy at 11 months was increased by 60% in 11-month recipient
females and by 40% relative to intact control females. Only 20% of the
11-month transplant females died in the 300-day period following ovarian
transplantation, whereas nearly 65% of the ovariectomized control females
died during this same period. The 11-month-old recipient females resumed
oestrus and continued to cycle up to several months beyond the age of
control female reproductive senescence. Across the three recipient age
groups, transplantation of young ovaries increased life expectancy in
proportion to the relative youth of the ovary. Our results relate to
recent findings on the gonadal input upon aging in Caenorhabditis elegans
and may suggest how the mammalian gonad, including that of humans, could
regulate aging and determine longevity.

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