Forget Creams-Your Bone Marrow Might be the Real Anti-Aging Solution

Components found in young human blood serum can help restore youthful qualities in skin tissue, but this effect only occurs when bone marrow cells are also involved (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Systemic factors in young human serum influence in vitro responses of human skin and bone marrow-derived blood cells in a microphysiological co-culture system

Go to source). Published in Aging (Aging-US), Volume 17, the new paper titled "Systemic factors in young human serum influence in vitro responses of human skin and bone marrow-derived blood cells in a microphysiological co-culture system" highlights this breakthrough.

The research, led by first author Johanna Ritter, reveals a crucial dependency between skin rejuvenation and the supportive role of bone marrow cells.

The team investigated how factors in young blood serum, already linked to anti-aging effects in animal models, impact human cells. Using a sophisticated system that simulates human blood circulation, researchers linked a three-dimensional skin model with a three-dimensional bone marrow model. They discovered that young human serum alone did not rejuvenate the skin; rejuvenation occurred only when bone marrow cells were present alongside the serum.

Circulating Youth Factors Need Bone Marrow Mediation

The interaction between bone marrow cells and skin tissue played a critical role in enabling rejuvenation. When both models were connected and exposed to young serum, bone marrow cells responded by altering their behavior, secreting specific proteins that then helped restore skin properties. These changes would not occur in isolated skin models, showing the importance of cross-tissue communication.

"Interestingly, we detected a significant increase in Ki67 positive cells in the dynamic skin model co-cultured with bone marrow model and young serum compared to the model co-cultured with bone marrow and old serum, indicating an improved regenerative capacity of the tissue," the authors stated, referring to a marker of cell proliferation.

Identification of Youth-Enhancing Proteins

Through in-depth analysis, the researchers identified 55 proteins secreted by bone marrow cells in response to young human serum. Among these, seven proteins stood out for their potential to boost skin regeneration by improving energy metabolism, increasing collagen production, and reducing markers of cellular aging.

These proteins did not act directly on the skin tissue. Instead, they were produced only after bone marrow cells processed the signals from the serum. Without this crucial step, the rejuvenating factors did not appear to take effect, illustrating a biological relay system between serum, bone marrow, and skin.

Implications for Anti-Aging Therapies and Regenerative Medicine

The findings help explain why earlier experiments in animals, where young and old organisms shared a circulatory system, showed rejuvenation effects across multiple organs. In humans, bone marrow-derived cells appear to be the essential messengers that convert systemic signals from blood into localized rejuvenation effects.

Though the work remains preclinical and not yet tested in human clinical trials, the insights offer promising directions for future regenerative therapies. By identifying specific proteins that mediate these anti-aging effects, this research opens the door to developing targeted treatments for age-related skin degeneration.

The findings demonstrate that young human serum alone cannot rejuvenate skin unless bone marrow cells are involved to mediate and transform the serum's signals into effective tissue responses.

This highlights the importance of inter-tissue communication in regeneration and aging, providing a new perspective on how future anti-aging treatments could harness the body's own systems to promote healthier, younger-looking skin.

Reference:

1. Systemic factors in young human serum influence in vitro responses of human skin and bone marrow-derived blood cells in a microphysiological co-culture system - (https://www.aging-us.com/article/206288/text)

Source-Medindia