Study summary · research use only
[Aging of the pineal gland]
Plain-language summary
Paraphrased from the published abstract below — not a verdict on whether anything works.
This review discussed age-related functional changes in the pineal gland across several species, including rhesus monkeys, mice, fruit flies, and Campbell rats. The authors noted that dietary restriction, S-adenosylmethionine, and MAO-A inhibitors were associated with amelioration of some age-related pineal impairments, and reported a threefold increase in nocturnal melatonin peaks in old rhesus monkeys treated with the synthetic peptide Epithalon (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly), modeled on a pineal peptide extract. The review noted other Epithalon effects overlapping with melatonin effects, including reported life extension in mice and fruit flies and postponed vision loss in Campbell rats with hereditary pigmental dystrophy, and speculated that pineal- and retina-specific transcription factors may underlie these effects.
Abstract
The age-related changes in the pineal gland are functional rather than organic, which makes their correction or prevention more tenable. The amelioration or inhibition of some age-related impairments of the pineal gland were observed with dietary restriction and the use of S-adenosylmethionine or MAO-A inhibitors. A threefold increase in nocturnal melatonin peaks occurs in old rhesus monkeys treated with a synthetic peptide Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly (Epithalon) designed basing on the amino acid content of a pineal peptide extract Epithalamin. Other effects of Epithalon markedly overlap with melatonin effects. Besides life extension in mice and fruit flies, Epithalon effects include the postponing vision loss in Campbell rats with hereditary pigmental dystrophy. A uniting aspect of such a range of activities might be the participation of transcription factors, since they are often highly conservative in evolution and, on the other hand, may be strictly tissue-specific. The targets of Epithalon may include transfactors that in mammals are specific for the pineal gland and retina and exhibit impaired functions in the aged pineal gland.
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