Spermidine: a physiological autophagy inducer acting as an anti-aging vitamin in humans?

Frank Madeo; Maria A Bauer; Didac Carmona-Gutierrez; Guido Kroemer

doi:10.1080/15548627.2018.1530929

Spermidine: a physiological autophagy inducer acting as an anti-aging vitamin in humans?

Autophagy. 2019 Jan;15(1):165-168. doi: 10.1080/15548627.2018.1530929. Epub 2018 Oct 11.

Authors

Frank Madeo^{1

2}, Maria A Bauer¹, Didac Carmona-Gutierrez¹, Guido Kroemer^{3

4

5

6

7

8}

Affiliations

¹ a Institute of Molecular Biosciences , University of Graz , Graz , Austria.
² b BioTechMed Graz , Graz , Austria.
³ c Equipe 11 labellisée Ligue contre le Cancer , Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, INSERM U , Paris , France.
⁴ d Metabolomics and Cell Biology Platforms , Gustave Roussy Comprehensive Cancer Center , Villejuif , France.
⁵ e Sorbonne Paris Cité , Université Paris Descartes , Paris , France.
⁶ f Université Pierre et Marie Curie , Paris , France.
⁷ g Pôle de Biologie , Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou , Paris , France.
⁸ h Department of Women's and Children's Health , Karolinska University Hospital , Stockholm , Sweden.

Abstract

Spermidine is a natural polyamine that stimulates cytoprotective macroautophagy/autophagy. External supplementation of spermidine extends lifespan and health span across species, including in yeast, nematodes, flies and mice. In humans, spermidine levels decline with aging, and a possible connection between reduced endogenous spermidine concentrations and age-related deterioration has been suggested. Recent epidemiological data support this notion, showing that an increased uptake of this polyamine with spermidine-rich food diminishes overall mortality associated with cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Here, we discuss nutritional and other possible routes to counteract the age-mediated decline of spermidine levels.

Keywords: Autophagy; cancer; cardiovascular diseases; health span extension; longevity.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Aging / drug effects*
Aging / physiology
Animals
Autophagy / drug effects*
Autophagy / physiology
Humans
Mice
Nematoda
Spermidine / pharmacology*
Spermidine / physiology*
Up-Regulation / drug effects
Vitamins / pharmacology
Vitamins / physiology
Yeasts

Substances

Vitamins
Spermidine

Grants and funding

GK is supported by the Ligue contre le Cancer (équipe labellisée); Agence National de la Recherche (ANR) – Projets blancs; ANR under the frame of E-Rare-2, the ERA-Net for Research on Rare Diseases; Association pour la recherche sur le cancer (ARC); Cancéropôle Ile-de-France; Chancelerie des universités de Paris (Legs Poix), Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale (FRM); a donation by Elior; the European Commission (ArtForce); European Research Area Network on Cardiovascular Diseases (ERA-CVD, MINOTAUR); the European Research Council (ERC); Fondation Carrefour; Institut National du Cancer (INCa); Inserm (HTE); Institut Universitaire de France; LeDucq Foundation; the LabEx Immuno-Oncology; the RHU Torino Lumière; the Seerave Foundation; the SIRIC Stratified Oncology Cell DNA Repair and Tumor Immune Elimination (SOCRATE); the SIRIC Cancer Research and Personalized Medicine (CARPEM); and the Paris Alliance of Cancer Research Institutes (PACRI). F.M. is grateful to the Austrian Science Fund FWF (Austria) for grants P23490-B20, P29262, P24381, P29203 P27893, I1000, “SFB Lipotox” (F3012), and DKplus Metabolic and Cardiovascular Diseases (W1226), as well as to Bundesministerium für Wissenschaft, Forschung und Wirtschaft and the Karl-Franzens University for grants “Unkonventionelle Forschung”. We acknowledge support from NAWI Graz and the BioTechMed-Graz flagship project “EPIAge.”.