Can cerebrospinal fluid help make “rejuvenation” a reality?

Rejuvenation and immortality have been the unremitting pursuit of mankind since ancient times. Unfortunately, it has not been truly realized so far. However, researchers have recently discovered a new way to quickly rejuvenate people, that is, to quickly rejuvenate the brain.

Recently, a research team from Stanford University published an article in Nature stating that injecting cerebrospinal fluid from young mice into old mice can improve memory, which will reverse the memory decline caused by age. However, the infusion technology is high-risk.

This study reminds me of a saying: high-end ingredients are often cooked in the simplest way.

Is the age of rejuvenation really here? Let’s talk about it today.

01. Rejuvenation is so simple and crude

As a researcher who once studied aging, I am in tears. I worked so hard to find samples and do various analyses, from bioinformatics to experiments. It all looked great, but in the end, there were no results.

In 2013, researchers from Harvard University attempted to swap an old mouse with a young mouse for the first time. They used a method called parabiosis, in which the blood circulation systems of the young and old mice were surgically connected, as shown in the figure below [1].

What was the result? After conjoining four mice, they unexpectedly found that the old mice became younger. For example, the symptoms of myocardial hypertrophy in this old mouse were significantly improved, and the number of myocardial cells was reduced, reflecting that the function of this small heart was greatly restored.

It can be said that this old mouse has achieved "rejuvenation". The related research was published in the top life science journal Cell, causing a sensation.

In 2014, they analyzed the components in the blood and speculated that a protein called GDF11 might be at work. When this protein was injected into mice, not only did the mice recover their muscles, but their brains also improved and their cognitive abilities were restored. The relevant results were published in the top journal Science [2].

These two studies can be said to have opened a new precedent, that is, the simplest way to extend human life.

Of course, this study later encountered some problems. Some people found that GDF11 did not seem to be the core component that played a role, because this was not confirmed in other repeated studies.

So, does this mean that it is wrong? The answer is no. In 2017, an article published in Nature not only consolidated the conclusion of the 2013 Cell article, but also further demonstrated a new view, that is, not only the blood of the same species can play a role, but also the blood of other organisms. We know that human umbilical cord blood is very important. It can be said to be the youngest state of a newborn fetus, so the researchers injected human umbilical cord blood into the blood of mice [3].

What was the result? Human umbilical cord blood also made old mice younger. It improved the learning and memory abilities of old mice! Of course, the researchers further analyzed which components played a role.

02. Cerebrospinal fluid rejuvenates

This Nature study is about using cerebrospinal fluid to reverse aging. Since it is cerebrospinal fluid, it must target the brain.

Therefore, the design idea is not difficult, as shown in the following figure:

First, collect cerebrospinal fluid from young mice

Next, we injected the mice

Testing learning and memory in aged mice

Make a transcriptome

Do another histology.

Em, it’s too conventional, so conventional that even I find it conventional. However, it can be published in Nature. Why? It means a lot.

Look at the performance of this young man after the injection of cerebrospinal fluid,

First, test your memory by looking at the picture.

(Percentage of freezing for 20-month-old mice in the remote recall contextual fear conditioning test)

See if you can recall the fear you once had.

The left side is an old mouse (aCSF), and the right side is a mouse injected with young cerebrospinal fluid (YM-CSF). You can see at a glance that the change is obvious.

Secondly, test the genes

Discovery of major gene clusters in oligodendrocyte genes in the hippocampus

Next, take a look at the structure, it is the increase of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells

Similar results are the same, with a visible increase

These visible increases demonstrate one fact: we have indeed regained our youth.

Of course, further verification

Found a handsome factor: Fgf17

This factor is still useful

look, directly play a role, can be as effective as young cerebrospinal fluid. So far, the article is basically completed.

The conclusion is: the cerebrospinal fluid of young mice can enhance the memory ability of old mice, and the core factor is Fgf17

03. More words

After doing scientific research for a long time, people will become a little superstitious. For example, many big guys believe in the Creator (of course, not the one who blesses you, but the kind of natural god).

I have also had this tendency recently, which is that I have discovered that many exquisite things are often not as fast as simple and crude ones.

For example, when it comes to reversing aging, more and more evidence suggests that the simplest approach may be the easiest.

For example, don’t use any factors, just use human blood. When they first looked for human blood factors, they thought they had found them, but it turned out to be wrong.

For example, there is no need to artificially induce pluripotent stem cells, but rather to use human umbilical cord blood stem cells directly.

In studies like this one, cerebrospinal fluid worked best.

There is a situation where we have tried for a long time, but still cannot surpass human potential.

Of course, this is also the driving force behind our efforts, striving to make these things closer and closer to people themselves.