Gesing · The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences 2017 · Controlled animal longevity study · n=?

A Long-lived Mouse Lacking Both Growth Hormone and Growth Hormone Receptor: A New Animal Model for Aging Studies.

Cited 36 times in the scientific literature.

Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data

Animal model study

PubMed 27688483 · doi:10.1093/gerona/glw193 · record verified 2026-08-30

What was done

Researchers crossed growth hormone (GH)-deficient Ames dwarf mice (df/df) with GH receptor knockout mice (GHRKO) to generate a double-deficient mouse line (df/KO) lacking both GH and its receptor. They evaluated body size, metabolic health-span markers (glucose tolerance and adiponectin levels), and lifespan compared with normal controls, Ames dwarf mice, and GHRKO mice.

What was found

The abstract does not report numerical data. Directionally, df/KO mice exhibited reduced body size, improved glucose tolerance, and increased adiponectin levels. Longevity experiments showed that df/KO mice lived longer than normal control mice, but they did not live longer than GHRKO or Ames dwarf mice.

Why it matters

The findings demonstrate that completely silencing the GH axis via dual genetic disruption does not produce additive lifespan extension beyond single-knockout models, despite additional improvements in selected metabolic markers.

Limits

This is an animal study, limiting direct translation to human aging. The abstract provides no sample sizes, numerical lifespan statistics, survival curve metrics, or quantitative biochemical values. Potential sex differences and specific causes of death were not reported in the abstract.

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