Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications
Language
English
Publication Date
4-1-2023
Journal
Aging Cell
DOI
10.1111/acel.13787
PMID
36734122
PMCID
PMC10086516
PubMedCentral® Posted Date
2-3-2023
PubMedCentral® Full Text Version
Post-print
Abstract
Interventions for animal lifespan extension like caloric restriction (CR) have identified physiologic and biochemical pathways related to hunger and energy-sensing status as possible contributors, but mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. Prior studies using ghrelin agonists show greater food intake but no effect on lifespan in rodent models. This experiment in male C57BL/6J mice tested the influence of ghrelin agonism for perceived hunger, in the absence of CR, on longevity. Mice aged 4 weeks were allowed to acclimate for 2 weeks prior to being assigned (N = 60/group). Prior to lights off daily (12:12 cycle), animals were fed a ghrelin agonist pill (LY444711; Eli Lilly) or a placebo control (Ctrl) until death. Treatment (GhrAg) animals were pair-fed daily based on the group mean food intake consumed by Ctrl (ad libitum feeding) the prior week. Results indicate an increased lifespan effect (log-rank p = 0.0032) for GhrAg versus placebo Ctrl, which weighed significantly more than GhrAg (adjusted for baseline weight). Further studies are needed to determine the full scope of effects of this ghrelin agonist, either directly via increased ghrelin receptor signaling or indirectly via other hypothalamic, systemic, or tissue-specific mechanisms.
Keywords
Animals, Male, Mice, Caloric Restriction, Ghrelin, Longevity, Mice, Inbred C57BL, aging, ghrelin agonist, lifespan, mice
Published Open-Access
yes
Recommended Citation
Kaiser, Kathryn A; Kadish, Inga; van Groen, Thomas; et al., "The Effect of a Pharmaceutical Ghrelin Agonist on Lifespan in C57BL/6J Male Mice: A Controlled Experiment" (2023). Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications. 224.
https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/staff_pub/224
Included in
Biochemical Phenomena, Metabolism, and Nutrition Commons, Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Commons, Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism Commons, Nutrition Commons