bioRxiv : the preprint server for biologyJun 29, 2026

Anti-aging treatments help maintain inner bone structure during aging in female mice

Longevity & Aging Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Jul 2, 2026

Abstract

At 22 months, all tested interventions significantly impacted trabecular bone in female UM-HET3 mice.

Trabecular bone in females showed increased trabecular number after treatment with rapamycin, acarbose, and 17β-estradiol.
Changes in trabecular thickness were minimal, indicating a focus on bone number rather than density.
In males, treatment effects on trabecular bone were generally negligible.
Modest increases in cortical area fraction were noted in females receiving rapamycin or 17β-estradiol, while cortical thickness remained stable.
The stronger skeletal responses in females highlight potential differences in how lifespan extension and bone health are influenced.

Simplified

Geroprotectors extend lifespan and improve several aspects of healthspan, yet their effects on skeletal ageing remain poorly understood. They hold potential advantages over current bone-targeted osteoporosis therapies, as they may simultaneously improve bone, neuromuscular function, and vision, thereby reducing the risk of falls, the major cause of fractures. Here we examined, for the first time, the long-term effects of rapamycin, acarbose, and 17α-estradiol, administered at lifespan-extending doses on trabecular and cortical bone architecture in male and female UM-HET3 mice measured with micro-computed tomography at 12 and 22 months of age. Bayesian modelling analysis reveals that all interventions produced responses in trabecular bone in females at 22 months. These effects were driven mainly by increases in trabecular number, with little evidence for changes in trabecular thickness. In contrast, treatment effects in males were generally negligible. Cortical responses were modest. Moderate increases in cortical area fraction were observed in females treated with rapamycin or 17α-estradiol at 22 months, whereas cortical thickness remained largely unchanged, suggesting a geometrical rather than anabolic effect. Interestingly, geroprotectors' strongest skeletal responses in females contrasts with the predominantly male-biased lifespan extension reported for acarbose and 17α-estradiol, suggesting differential mechanisms mediating lifespan extension and bone structure preservation.

Featured in

Longevity & AgingIssue #44

Stress ages your blood stem cells — and the gut microbiome is the middleman

↗

Anti-aging treatments help maintain inner bone structure during aging in female mice

Abstract

Featured in

You found one interesting study. We’ll send the next 7.

what lands in your inbox each week:

Recent issues from the longevity & aging brief