Anti-ageing drug rapamycin might only benefit females

Fruit fly image - Copyright :  K.Link / Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, 2022 - The anti-ageing drug rapamycin only prolongs the lifespan of female fruit flies, but not that of males, finds a new study co-led by UCL researchers. Working with researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing in Cologne, the team reports in Nature Aging that in addition, rapamycin only slowed the development of age-related pathological changes in the gut in female flies. The researchers conclude that the biological sex is a crucial factor in the effectiveness of anti-ageing drugs. In humans, the life expectancy of women is significantly higher than that of men. However, women also suffer more often from age-related diseases and adverse drug reactions. Co-lead author Dr Yu-Xuan Lu (Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing) said: "Our long-term goal is to make men live as long as women and also women as healthy as men in late life. But for that, we need to understand where the differences come from." The researchers gave the anti-ageing drug rapamycin to male and female fruit flies to study the effect on the different sexes.