Lifespan Assessment
Objective: Measurement of lifespan extension in mice treated with rapamycin compared to control animals, and assessment of whether rapamycin slows the rate of aging
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Materials1
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Protocol Steps
Animal treatment groups
Male C57BL/6J mice were divided into treatment and control groups for lifespan assessment
Note: Rapamycin-treated group compared to control animals
View evidence from paper
“comprehensive, large-scale assessment of a wide range of structural and functional aging phenotypes, which we performed to determine whether rapamycin slows the rate of aging in male C57BL/6J mice”
Lifespan monitoring
Lifespan was measured and compared between rapamycin-treated and control animals
Note: Maximal lifespan was assessed as primary outcome
View evidence from paper
“While rapamycin did extend lifespan, it ameliorated few studied aging phenotypes”
Aging phenotype assessment
A comprehensive assessment of structural and functional aging phenotypes was performed across multiple domains
Note: Wide range of aging traits were evaluated to determine if rapamycin effects were aging-related or drug-specific
View evidence from paper
“comprehensive, large-scale assessment of a wide range of structural and functional aging phenotypes”
Young animal control assessment
Rapamycin effects were also assessed in young animals to distinguish aging-dependent from aging-independent drug effects
Note: Comparison between young and aged animals treated with rapamycin
View evidence from paper
“Rapamycin, however, had similar effects on many of these traits in young animals, indicating that these effects were not due to a modulation of aging”