Reports on April 19 reveal a groundbreaking discovery by researchers at Nanjing University: small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) found in youthful blood possess remarkable abilities to prolong lifespan, restore overall physiological function, and reverse age-related degenerative changes.
The Nanjing University research team focused on sEVs with a diameter of <200 nanometers and investigated their "fountain of youth" effect by repeatedly injecting sEVs derived from young mice or humans into elderly mice.
Specifically, sEVs from young blood plasma counteracted aging at molecular, mitochondrial, cellular, and physiological levels. Intravenous injection of young sEVs into aged mice extended their lifespan, alleviated aging phenotypes, and improved functional declines in multiple age-related tissues.
This study indicates that sEVs from young blood plasma mitigate existing aging at molecular, mitochondrial, cellular, and physiological levels, partly by stimulating PGC-1α expression and enhancing mitochondrial energy metabolism to reverse degenerative changes and age-related functional impairments.
More importantly, young sEVs, as promising natural carriers, can reliably deliver "fountain of youth" factors without toxicity or immunogenicity, making sEVs a versatile tool to rejuvenate aging tissues.
