Headline is a little misleading. The overall median lifespan increase was 14%.
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Scientists boost lifespan by 70% in elderly male mice using simple drug combo
December 2, 2025
A recent cover article in Aging-US, titled "Sex-specific longitudinal reversal of aging in old frail mice," highlights a promising new direction in longevity research.
The work, led by first author Cameron Kato along with corresponding author and Aging-US Editorial Board Member Irina M. Conboy at the University of California, Berkeley, reveals that combining oxytocin with an Alk5 inhibitor (OT+A5i) greatly improved both lifespan and overall health in frail, elderly, male mice. Female mice did not experience the same long-lasting benefits, pointing to important biological differences in how each sex responds to anti-aging therapies.
"These findings establish the significant health-span extension capacity of OT+A5i and emphasize the differences in aging and in response to longevity therapeutics between the sexes."
The team used a two-part treatment designed to address major biological changes that occur with age. Oxytocin, a hormone known to support tissue repair and naturally decline over time, was paired with an Alk5 inhibitor that blocks the TGF-beta pathway. TGF-beta activity tends to increase in older tissues and is linked to inflammation and cellular damage. In this research, frail mice aged 25 months, which is roughly equivalent to 75 human years, received regular OT+A5i treatment.
Male mice treated with this combination lived more than 70% longer than untreated mice and showed marked improvements in agility, endurance, and memory. Hazard ratio analysis indicated that treated males were nearly three times less likely to die at any moment compared to untreated controls.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2 ... 052226.htm
Will be interesting to see results of this human trial.
