In the same experimental design that showed rapamycin extended median lifespan by 10-18%, neither resveratrol nor simvastatin had any significant effect on survival - a direct head-to-head negative control run at the same time, in the same mice.
| Evidence tier | C Animal in vivo |
| Study type | 4 - Animal Study |
| Model system | Mouse (genetically heterogeneous, ITP, 3 sites) |
| Journal | J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci |
| Year | 2011 |
| Peer reviewed | Yes |
| Source | DOI 10.1093/gerona/glq178 · PMID 20974732 · Free full text (PMC3021372) |
Rapamycin was administered in food to genetically heterogeneous mice from the age of 9 months and produced significant increases in life span, including maximum life span, at each of three test sites. Median survival was extended by an average of 10% in males and 18% in females. Rapamycin attenuated age-associated decline in spontaneous activity in males but not in females. Causes of death were similar in control and rapamycin-treated mice. Resveratrol (at 300 and 1200 ppm food) and simvastatin (12 and 120 ppm) did not have significant effects on survival in male or female mice. Further evaluation of rapamycin's effects on mice is likely to help delineate the role of the mammalian target of rapamycin complexes in the regulation of aging rate and age-dependent diseases and may help to guide a search for drugs that retard some or all of the diseases of aging.
| Intervention | Rapamycin (vs resveratrol, simvastatin) |
| Target | mTOR |
| Model | Mouse (genetically heterogeneous, ITP, 3 sites) |
| Effect | Rapamycin from 9 months extended lifespan (males +10%, females +18%); resveratrol and simvastatin did not |