Chinese scientists hope to extend female reproductive lifespan with naturally occurring substance
- The substance known as spermidine was found to be effective in improving fertility in mice and it may be suitable for use human use
- Lead researcher from Nanjing Agricultural University says ‘our dream is to apply our findings in real life’ to help women who have difficulty conceiving
The substance, known as spermidine, occurs naturally in ovaries and was first identified in human semen but later found to be widespread in cells of all living organisms.
The researchers found it had successfully improved the fertility of aged female mice, and said they hoped that it could increase the quality of human oocytes - the cells in ovaries that become eggs.
But they said more work was needed before they could determine whether this approach would be safe and effective on humans.
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Inside China's Demographic Revolution
“Our findings suggest that spermidine supplementation could represent a therapeutic strategy to ameliorate oocyte quality and reproductive outcome in cisgender women and other persons trying to conceive at an advanced age,” the team from Nanjing Agricultural University wrote in an article published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Aging on Monday.
