In 1956, Aslan brought forth her work “A new method for the prophylaxis and treatment of old age with Novacaine-Substance H3″ at the institute of chemical physiology, Berne, Switzerland (1) and at the “Deutsche Therapiewoche” congress in Karlsruhe, Germany (2).
Since then, over the past 42 years, valuable literature on Gerovital H3 has accumulated consisting of the confirmation of Aslan’s geriatric-method, and Gerovital-H3’s regenerating and prophylactic actions.
Studies conducted by the National Institute in Bucharest and those carried on by other authors have pointed out the general action excerpted by Gerovital H3 on the aging process, and its action on chronic diseases, the frequency of which increases with advancing age (3,4).
Clinically, Gerovital treated patients show more desire to live, diminished depression and anxiety, increased physical and intellectual capacities, diminished extrapyramidal rigidity, better skin, hair and nail trophicity, less senile spots and keratosis, growth and regimentation of the hair color, increased muscular strength and joint mobility and faster knitting of accidental fractures.
Gerovital and regeneration
Aslan checked these clinical facts experimentally (5), the research showed Gerovital-H3 to have regenerative effects on the liver tissue, bone marrow and it shortened the time required by bone knitting after experimental fractures in rats (5).
An experimental study was conducted by Aslan on 1840 rats, it made evident an 18% to 21% life span extension in the treated rats as compared to control rats injected with saline solution.
The treated old animals also displayed better general trophicity, thick and glossy fur, higher resistance to acute diseases, increased resistance to exercise and better answers to memory and behaviour tests as against the control group. At the age of 24 months, the treated animals with Gerovital-H3 scored better in learning and memorizing the maze (6), (see figure 1 below).
The histological examination of the hearts removed from animals treated with Aslan’s Gerovital H3 revealed connective invasion more reduced than in the controls; the degenerative modifications of the renal tubes were fewer and less severe in the treated animals as were the involutive changes found in other organs.
The laboratory studies conducted on Drosophila melanogaster revealed a 22.7% life span extension in individuals cultivated in a medium containing 0.005mg Gerovital-H3/ml, in comparison with control group (p 0.01). Similar results were obtained with secondary cultures of monkey renal cells.
Gerovital H3 in a concentration of 0.4ml% induced the extension of the post-mitotic life span renal cells by 16%, meanwhile the normal signs of aging were noted in the untreated cells (7,8).
Gerovital-H3 effects on aging embryo fibroblasts of the rat and their life span in cultures were studied by Officer (9). He noticed that Gerovital H3 added to the cultures in the 7th to 9th passages reduced the time required by cell replication, which thus continued for 2 to 5 generations more than in control cultures. When added to cultures in which the replication had ceased, Gerovital-H3 extended cell life span, it also prevented the spontaneous change into a continuos cell line.
Regarding the regeneration of cells, I recall Schedel’s experiment with procaine injections around a wound (10). This enabled him to cure an ulceration caused by Rontgen therapy. The histologic examination of the wound revealed the appearance of the granulation tissue after a 3-week treatment along with the accumulation of the so-called “regeneration cells” around many vessels (see figure 2 over).
The age-related accumulation of lipofuscin within the nervous cells is now well known, so the action of Gerovital-H3 was studied on rats under 6 to 18 months old. Histologically and histochemically, the number of entirely lipofuscin-loaded pyramidal and Purkinje cells from the brain cortex and cerebellum was much lower (19.4 in treated vs. control animals- 72.8) (11,12).
In an experiment study on the nootropic effects of Gerovital H3 upon the central nervous system in rats, it was noted that Gerovital H3 had protective consequences against anoxia by curarization or closed circuit (13).
