Evaluation of resveratrol, green tea extract, curcumin, oxaloacetic acid, and medium-chain triglyceride oil on life span of genetically heterogeneous mice

Abstract

The National Institute on Aging Interventions Testing Program (ITP) was established to evaluate agents that are hypothesized to increase life span and/or health span in genetically heterogeneous mice. Each compound is tested in parallel at three test sites. It is the goal of the ITP to publish all results, negative or positive. We report here on the results of lifelong treatment of mice, beginning at 4 months of age, with each of five agents, that is, green tea extract (GTE), curcumin, oxaloacetic acid, medium-chain triglyceride oil, and resveratrol, on the life span of genetically heterogeneous mice. Each agent was administered beginning at 4 months of age. None of these five agents had a statistically significant effect on life span of male or female mice, by log-rank test, at the concentrations tested, although a secondary analysis suggested that GTE might diminish the risk of midlife deaths in females only.

Figure 1.

Effect of treatments on body weights at different ages, pooled across sites. Data are expressed as the mean ± SEM of the following number of animals. The number of animals in each age and treatment group was 6 months females—controls = 266, treatment groups = 125–132; 6 months males—controls = 285, treatment groups = 153–157; 12 months females—controls = 268, treatment groups = 126–131; 12 months males—controls = 260, treatment groups = 131–142; 18 months females—controls = 257, treatment groups = 155–129; 18 months males—controls = 217, treatment groups = 115–121; 24 months females—controls = 216, treatment groups =102–111; 18 months males—controls = 158, treatment groups = 86–97.

Figure 2.

Survival curves for female UM-HET3 mice treated with curcumin, medium-chain length triglyceride oil (MCTO), oxaloacetic acid (OAA), resveratrol (RES), or green tea extract (GTE) from 4 months of age, pooled across the three test sites. Each p > .15 by log-rank test.

Figure 3.

Survival curves for male UM-HET3 mice treated with curcumin, medium-chain length triglyceride oil (MCTO), oxaloacetic acid (OAA), resveratrol (RES), or green tea extract (GTE) from 4 months of age, pooled across the three test sites. Each p > .3 by log-rank test.

Figure 4.

Site-specific survival for male and female UM-HET3 mice treated with green tea extract (GTE) from 4 months of age.

Figure 5.

Comparison of site-specific survival. (A) Female controls in cohort 2007. (B) Male controls in cohort 2007. (C) Historical comparison of median life spans of males from all cohorts. (D) Historical comparison of median life spans of females from all cohorts.

Figure 6.

Historical comparison of site-specific body weights. (A) Female controls at 6 months. (B) Male controls at 6 months. (C) Female controls at 18 months. (D) Male controls at 18 months of age.