Long-Term Treatment with Procaine (Gerovital H3) in Albino Rats

Aslan, Abdulvahap; Vrăbiescu, A; Domilescu, C; Câmpeanu, L; Costiniu, M; Stănescu, Simona Maria

doi:10.1093/geronj/20.1.1

Cited by 24 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…History is replete with instances of individuals offering cures for aging or, at least, remedies to forestall its consequences. One such ''remedy,'' called Gerovital by its creator (Aslan et al, 1965) though it is in fact little more than procaine (a topical anesthetic), is still widely marketed on the Internet as an essential ''anti-aging'' drug, despite having been discredited for years as having no slowing effects on the aging process. Are the recommendations regarding cognitive enrichment currently being offered to the public likely to be effective?…”

Section: The Concept Of Cognitive Enrichmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enrichment Effects on Adult Cognitive Development

Hertzog

Kramer

Wilson

et al. 2008

Psychol Sci Public Interest

1,141

464

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SUMMARY-In this monograph, we ask whether various kinds of intellectual, physical, and social activities produce cognitive enrichment effects-that is, whether they improve cognitive performance at different points of the adult life span, with a particular emphasis on old age.We begin with a theoretical framework that emphasizes the potential of behavior to influence levels of cognitive functioning. According to this framework, the undeniable presence of age-related decline in cognition does not invalidate the view that behavior can enhance cognitive functioning. Instead, the course of normal aging shapes a zone of possible functioning, which reflects person-specific endowments and age-related constraints. Individuals influence whether they function in the higher or lower ranges of this zone by engaging in or refraining from beneficial intellectual, physical, and social activities. From this point of view, the potential for positive change, or plasticity, is maintained in adult cognition. It is an argument that is supported by newer research in neuroscience showing neural plasticity in various aspects of central nervous system functioning, neurochemistry, and architecture. This view of human potential contrasts with static conceptions of cognition in old age, according to which decline in abilities is fixed and individuals cannot slow its course. Furthermore, any understanding of cognition as it occurs in everyday life must make a distinction between basic cognitive mechanisms and skills (such as working-memory capacity) and the functional use of cognition to achieve goals in specific situations. In practice, knowledge and expertise are critical for effective functioning, and the available evidence suggests that older adults effectively employ specific knowledge and expertise and can gain new knowledge when it is required.We conclude that, on balance, the available evidence favors the hypothesis that maintaining an intellectually engaged and physically active lifestyle promotes successful cognitive aging. First, cognitive-training studies have demonstrated that older adults can improve cognitive functioning when provided with intensive training in strategies that promote thinking and remembering. The early training literature suggested little transfer of function from specifically trained skills to new cognitive tasks; learning was highly specific to the cognitive processes targeted by training. Recently, however, a new generation of studies suggests that providing structured experience in situations demanding executive coordination of skillssuch as complex video games, task-switching paradigms, and divided attention tasks-train strategic control over cognition that does show transfer to different task environments. These studies suggest that there is considerable reserve potential in older adults' cognition that can be enhanced through training.Second, a considerable number of studies indicate that maintaining a lifestyle that is intellectually stimulating predicts better maintenance of cognitive skills and is a...

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Section: The Concept Of Cognitive Enrichmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enrichment Effects on Adult Cognitive Development

Hertzog

Kramer

Wilson

et al. 2008

Psychol Sci Public Interest

1,141

464

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The studies researching procaine's influence on lifespan are scarce. An experimental study conducted by Aslan et al (1965) on 1840 rats pointed out 18-21% longer lifespan in treated animals than that of controls injected with saline solution [ 140 ]. Another investigation on lifespan was conducted on 3680 animals from 5 successive generations.…”

Section: Procaine Effects On Lifespanmentioning

confidence: 99%

Procaine–The Controversial Geroprotector Candidate: New Insights Regarding Its Molecular and Cellular Effects

Grădinaru

Ungurianu

Margină

et al. 2021

Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity

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Since its discovery in 1905 and its employment in everyday medical practice as a local anesthetic, to its highly controversial endorsement as an “anti-aging” molecule in the sixties and seventies, procaine is part of the history of medicine and gerontoprophylaxis. Procaine can be considered a “veteran” drug due to its long-time use in clinical practice, but is also a molecule which continues to incite interest, revealing new biological and pharmacological effects within novel experimental approaches. Therefore, this review is aimed at exploring and systematizing recent data on the biochemical, cellular, and molecular mechanisms involved in the antioxidant and potential geroprotective effects of procaine, focusing on the following aspects: (1) the research state-of-the-art, through an objective examination of scientific literature within the last 30 years, describing the positive, as well as the negative reports; (2) the experimental data supporting the beneficial effects of procaine in preventing or alleviating age-related pathology; and (3) the multifactorial pathways procaine impacts oxidative stress, inflammation, atherogenesis, cerebral age-related pathology, DNA damage, and methylation. According to reviewed data, procaine displayed antioxidant and cytoprotective actions in experimental models of myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury, lipoprotein oxidation, endothelial-dependent vasorelaxation, inflammation, sepsis, intoxication, ionizing irradiation, cancer, and neurodegeneration. This analysis painted a complex pharmacological profile of procaine: a molecule that has not yet fully expressed its therapeutic potential in the treatment and prevention of aging-associated diseases. The numerous recent reports found demonstrate the rising interest in researching the multiple actions of procaine regulating key processes involved in cellular senescence. Its beneficial effects on cell/tissue functions and metabolism could designate procaine as a valuable candidate for the well-established Geroprotectors database.

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“…Hence the gerontological usefulness of this drug is in great doubt. From subsequent animal studies, Aslan et al (211) reported that chronic parenteral administration of procaine to rats increased the lifespan of the males but not of females, improved maze-running efficiency, and mitigated age-associated morphological changes in various organs. In contrast, VerzLr (212) obtained only negative results in rats treated with procaine and its hydrolytic components, p-aminobenzoic acid and diethylaminoethanol.…”

Section: Sh Nh2 XIIImentioning

confidence: 99%