Naturally occurring anti-aging compound enhances fertility in older mice

Good news! Appears to be a breakthrough!

"... However, the effect of spermidine on oocytes was unknown. So, in a new study, researchers tested the compound on older female mice to see whether it produced any benefits. First, they compared ovarian tissue from young and middle-aged mice and found that the tissue from older mice contained far less spermidine. They also had poorer-quality oocytes and more degraded follicles.

To see whether the oocytes’ condition was related to reduced spermidine levels, the researchers injected some older mice with the compound. Compared to a control group, oocytes in the spermidine-boosted mice developed more quickly and had fewer defects. The mice also had more follicles, a measure often used in humans to estimate the number and quality of oocytes. The results were the same when spermidine was provided as an oral supplement in the mice’s drinking water. ..."

From the abstract:

"Advanced age is a primary risk factor for female infertility due to reduced ovarian reserve and declining oocyte quality. However, as an important contributing factor, the role of metabolic regulation during reproductive aging is poorly understood. Here, we applied untargeted metabolomics to identify spermidine as a critical metabolite in ovaries to protect oocytes against aging. In particular, we found that the spermidine level was reduced in ovaries of aged mice and that supplementation with spermidine promoted follicle development, oocyte maturation, early embryonic development and female fertility of aged mice. By microtranscriptomic analysis, we further discovered that spermidine-induced recovery of oocyte quality was mediated by enhancement of mitophagy activity and mitochondrial function in aged mice, and this mechanism of action was conserved in porcine oocytes under oxidative stress. Altogether, our findings suggest that spermidine supplementation could represent a therapeutic strategy to ameliorate oocyte quality and reproductive outcome ..."

Naturally occurring anti-aging compound enhances fertility in older mice Researchers have found that a naturally occurring compound enhanced fertility in older female mice by reversing age-related reproductive cell decline, causing them to produce larger litters. The discovery could one day aid in developing treatments to improve human fertility.

Anti-ageing molecule boosts fertility in ageing mice ‘Undeniably groundbreaking’ work shows that declining egg quality in older mice can be reversed with a dietary supplement.

Spermidine promotes fertility in aged female mice (no public access)

Polyamine metabolite spermidine rejuvenates oocyte quality by enhancing mitophagy during female reproductive aging (no public access)

Follicles — the structures that hold developing egg cells