Late-onset administration of GDF11 extends life span and delays development of age-related markers in the annual fish Nothobranchius guentheri.

Current studies have generated disputes on the age-related change in the concentration of growth differentiation factor 11 (GDF11) and its role in the genesis of rejuvenation conditions. In this study we showed for the first time that both GDF11 gene expression and its protein abundance decreased with age in the fish Nothobranchius guentheri. We also showed that rGDF11 fed was indeed absorbed by the fish. Importantly, we demonstrated that dietary intake of recombinant GDF11 had little influences on the body weight and length of aging N. guentheri, but it delayed the development of age-related biomarkers and extended both the median and maximum life span of the fish. Our results clearly demonstrate that piscine GDF11 has rejuvenation and anti-aging capacity, the first data as such in non-mammalian vertebrates.