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Life extension with Deprenyl
Youthful brain power with Deprenyl

Life Extension With Deprenyl

Deprenyl is a drug that was developed by Professor Joseph Knoll in 1964. Referred to as a life-extending drug, it has been the subject of extensive research, with hundreds of studies having been published over the last 30 years. These studies have concluded that it successfully treats Parkinson’s disease, dementia and depression, while having positive effects on both female and male libido.

In 1978, Professor Knoll discovered that Deprenyl inhibits monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B), a neurotransmitter that metabolizes used neurotransmitters for excretion. MAO levels tend to increase with age, resulting in decreased monoamine neurotransmitters like dopamine. Consequently, MAO inhibition can correct this age-related decline in neurotransmitters. Professor Knoll stated that deprenyl “...is an exceptionally lucky modification of PEA [phenylethylamine], an endogenous ... member of the family to which also the transmitters noradrenaline and dopamine belong.”

Parkinson's disease, a condition characterized by progressive dementia, unsteady gait, and tremor, is believed to be caused by a loss of dopamine producing nerve cells in the brain.

The Anti-aging Drug

A series of four rat experiments were conducted with the purpose of determining whether deprenyl could in fact extend lifespan significantly. The first experiment saw 132 Wistar-Logan rats treated towards the end of their second year, with either saline injections or a 0.25 mg/kg deprenyl injection 3 times a week until their deaths.

The oldest rat in the saline-treated group reached 164 weeks of age, the average lifespan of the group being 147 weeks. The average lifespan in the deprenyl group was 192 weeks, the shortest-living rat dying at 171 weeks, and the longest-living reaching 226 weeks. The remaining three experiments reported similar results, and these types of experiments have been replicated successfully since.

Currently, deprenyl is FDA approved only for treating Parkinson’s disease. However, ongoing clinical trials are being conducted to determine its ability to treat Alzheimer’s disease. It is also thought to have therapeutic effects on a range of conditions including: cerebral infarction, hormone imbalance, Multiple Sclerosis, sexual dysfunction, hypertension and cancer.

Youthful brain power with Deprenyl

Deprenyl’s status in the antiaging field of medicine lies in its ability to boost the amount of dopamine produced by the brain. Dopamine is what’s known as a ‘neurotransmitter’ – a powerful messenger for brain impulses and signals. Deprenyl helps to reduce the natural age related decline of dopamine and preserve youthful like brain activity.

It has also been shown to protect nerve cells against a wide range of neurotoxins and exposure to damaging or stressful conditions.

Originally developed as a psychic energizer – designed to combine amphetamine and antidepressant like characteristics – Deprenyl is synonymous with its founder Dr Joseph Knoll. He established its dopamine enhancing qualities and put deprenyl on the map as a key life enhancing drug.

Based on his extensive life extension research involving animals, Dr Knoll argued that Deprenyl use by older people could increase the average human lifespan by as much as 15 years.

The form of the drug in most common medical use today is L-Deprenyl, or selegiline as it’s also known.

How does Deprenyl work?

Dr Joseph Knoll’s research revealed that Deprenyl inhibits the enzymes which breakdown dopamine in the body - in particular enzymes known as mono-amine oxidase-B (MAO-B). But Deprenyl was also found to be selective, meaning other key bodily enzymes - namely MAO-As working in the intestine – were unaffected. This lead to Deprenyl’s description as the only potent, selective MAO-B inhibitor in medical use.

In addition to blocking MAO-B enzymes, Dr Knoll concluded that Deprenyl also boosts the formation of natural anti-oxidants in the brain. The actions of these anti-oxidants also pay a pivotal role in extending life expectancy, he argued.

What is Deprenyl used to treat?

Deprenyl’s action to reduce the age-related decline of dopamine in the brain opened up its wide ranging use in the antiaging arena.

To illustrate this potential, Dr Knoll highlighted the nigrostriatal tract - a tiny cluster of nerve cells deep inside the brain which help control human actions. He argued that this area featured the most rapidly aging neurons of the entire brain - whose dopamine content decreased by 13 per cent a decade in people over the age of 45. If this rate of dopamine decline could be reduced by as little as three per cent to ten per cent a decade, then Dr Knoll suggested that the average human lifespan might be extended by 15 years.

Dr Knoll had argued that human longevity was, in part, governed by the rate of dopamine decline in our bodies – which contributed to longer life and sharper mental capabilities too.

Is Deprenyl beneficial for anything else?

Deprenyl has become a standard treatment for Parkinson’s disease, which again appears to be related to its role in counteracting dopamine loss by the body. Studies have shown that the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease appear when the dopamine content of the caudate part of the brain falls below 30 per cent of the normal level.

Although Deprenyl’s use in Parkinson’s disease is the only one approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a number of ongoing clinical studies are also examining its potential benefits in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.

Anecdotal reports from both physicians and patients highlight Deprenyl’s role in treating a variety of other conditions and diseases. These include: cerebral infarction (commonly known as a stroke), hormone inadequacy, a motor neurone disease known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis – or Lou Gehrig’s disease (named after the US baseball star who suffered from the condition), fatigue, chronic pain, gastric ulcers and senile dementia.

The array of conditions linked with Deprenyl also spans sexual dysfunction, multiple sclerosis, learning difficulties, blepharospasm (involuntary closure of the eyelids), and hypertension and depression.

US physician Dr Clyde Reynolds, who specialises in the metabolic therapy of cancer, has also highlighted Deprenyl’s use in the treatment of the condition. He discovered that cancer patients invariably have imbalances of the neurotransmitters epinephrine, norepinephrine and serotonin. Dr Clyde has found Deprenyl to be good at restoring the normal levels and balance of these neurotransmitters, which he believes are key for the effective treatment of all cancers.

How effective is Deprenyl?

Since Dr Joseph Knoll’s discovery of Deprenyl in 1964, the drug has undergone extensive testing and analysis, and featured in hundreds of research papers.

In the life extension arena, tests involving animals carried out by Knoll and research colleagues including doctors Miklya and Yen, have produced startling results. A ground breaking study on rats by Kroll and colleagues in 1988 reported that the animals treated with Deprenyl lived 30 to 40 per cent longer. A further Canadian study carried out by Milgram in 1990 reported more modest but still significant results – extending the life expectancy of rats by 16 per cent using Deprenyl.

Further tests involving elderly dogs by researcher William Ruehl, found Deprenyl was effective in extending the lives of these animals too. In this study, 80 per cent of the elderly beagle dogs given Deprenyl lived until the end of the study compared to just 39 per cent of the dogs who weren’t given the drug.

What is the dosage?

Deprenyl treatment for Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease often involves very high doses of around 20mg a day – taken alongside other drugs.

The dosage for antiaging treatment varies with age and medical condition, though is more likely to be around 2.5mg to 5mg, taken between once and three times a week. Alternatively, a daily dose of 1mg to 3mg, with regular breaks, could be recommended.

Deprenyl typically comes in tablet and liquid form – with the liquid generally recognised as the most pure and potent form available. The liquid also offers a more precise dosage for antiaging purposes, as each ml drop in the bottle is equivalent to 1mg of deprenyl citrate.

The manufacturer’s recommended dose ranges from 1mg two times a week for people aged 30 to 35, up to 10mg a day for users aged 80 and above (an age/dosage list in English is enclosed with your order).

Are there any side effects?

Possible side effects include gastrointestinal symptoms, such as nausea, heartburn and upset stomach. Some studies have also found side effects including irritability, hyper-excitability, psychomotor agitation (unintentional body movements related to stress and anxiety) and insomnia.

These side effects may be due Deprenyl’s role in stimulating and over activating our brain’s key neurotransmitters ahead of the ones that promote calmness and sleep known as serotonergic systems. Taking magnesium and tryptophan or 5-HTP may help to counter these effects.