science
Drug Blocking Interleukin-11 Reduced Ovarian Stiffness and Doubled Conception Rates in Older Mice and Rats
@NewScientist reported that an experimental drug silencing the gene for interleukin-11 softened ovaries in 36-week-old rodents and doubled their conception rates. Treated animals also produced larger litters than untreated controls. The findings link rising interleukin-11 levels to age-related ovarian changes observed in women.
Jul 10, 7:54 PM·1m read1 source
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An experimental drug that blocks production of interleukin-11 reduced ovarian stiffness by 36 percent in 36-week-old mice and doubled their conception rate from 25 percent to 50 percent, @NewScientist reported. Average litter size rose from three to five pups.
The same treatment produced similar gains in rats of comparable age, lifting conception from 20 percent to 50 percent and litter size from one to five pups.
Researchers at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, China, injected the drug into the tails of the animals twice a week for four weeks. The drug silences the gene that produces interleukin-11. Ovarian stiffness was measured by microscopy.
Thirty-six-week-old mice correspond roughly to humans in their late 30s or early 40s. Mice genetically modified to be unable to respond to interleukin-11 also showed reduced ovarian stiffness with age and ovulated more than unmodified controls. Interleukin-11 activates fibroblasts that produce collagen, which contributes to tissue stiffness.
Protein levels of interleukin-11 rose in ovaries removed from women aged 35 to 42 and 47 to 52 compared with those aged 18 to 28. All the women had a history of gynecological cancer, but their ovaries were unaffected at removal. Treated mice and rats showed no known side effects.
The study was published in Nature Aging with DOI 10.1038/s43587-026-01159-2. Francesca Duncan at Northwestern University said the intervention could produce similar outcomes in premenopausal women. Barbara Vanderhyden at the University of Ottawa said prolonging ovarian function could delay health effects of menopause such as higher risks of osteoporosis and heart conditions.
