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Ageing

The influence of the circulatory system on tissue ageing: does the fountain of youth lie in our blood?

Nature Reviews Endocrinology volume 19, page 685 (2023)Cite this article

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Tales of vampirism date back to the ancient Egyptian goddess of war and healing, Sekhmet, whose consumption of human blood fuelled her rage and power. Similar concepts pervade human history; for instance, vampires and the undead consume blood of the living to survive and maintain a youthful appearance. Many historical beliefs and ancient practices associate youthful revitalization and longevity with transfusion of blood from young donors. In the laboratory, heterochronic parabiosis (from the Greek ‘para’, meaning ‘next to’, and ‘bios’, meaning ‘life’) is an experimental surgical technique that joins the circulatory systems of two living animals of different ages. While almost all vitality-focused ancient practices and myths have been disproven, the study of parabiosis represents a fascinating intersection between cultural beliefs, mythology and modern scientific empiricism.

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References

Original article

  • Conboy, I. et al. Rejuvenation of aged progenitor cells by exposure to a young systemic environment. Nature 433, 760–764 (2005)

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  1. Department of Physiology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA

    Alexander Keeble

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  1. Alexander Keeble
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Correspondence to Alexander Keeble.

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Keeble, A. The influence of the circulatory system on tissue ageing: does the fountain of youth lie in our blood?. Nat Rev Endocrinol 19, 685 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-023-00895-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-023-00895-4

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