Efficacy of velvet antler peptides in anti-aging: a narrative review

Ma, Haoxin; Pei, Hongyan; Geng, Jianan; Chen, Weijia; Zong, Ying; Zhao, Yan; Du, Rui; He, Zhongmei

College of Chinese Materia Medica, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, Jilin Province, China

*Correspondence to: Zhongmei He, MD, heather78@126.com.

Abstract

Deer antler velvet has a long history of medicinal use in China, renowned for its rich therapeutic valuewhich. A large number of peptides, amino acids, and other components found in deer antler velvet have been widely studied. Aging has long been considered a pathological process that predisposes individuals to various diseases, leading to the emergence of the term “age-related disease”. There are several shared mechanisms between aging and the pathogenesis of these diseases, including stress adaptation, loss of protein balance, stem cell depletion, metabolic disorders, macromolecular damage, epigenetic modifications, and inflammatory responses. As the human body ages, the accumulation of molecular, cellular and organ damage can lead to a range of diseases, such as cardiovascular, metabolic, and nervous system diseases. With the growing older population, the challenges posed by aging have become increasingly severe, highlighting the urgent need to discover substances that can effectively delay or even treat aging-related diseases. The potential of velvet antler peptides in this area remains largely unexplored. Velvet antler peptides exhibit various pharmacological effects, including anti-oxidation, anti-aging, neuroprotection, anti-tumor activity, and treatment for osteoporosis, arthritis, and ovarian aging. This review article focuses on the pharmacological activity of velvet antler peptides in combating aging-related diseases, aiming to provide insights for future pharmacological research and product development. Furthermore, the clinical significance of velvet antler peptides is emphasized, particularly their potential to improve the quality of life and extend the healthy lifespan of the older adults. In conclusion, as a natural candidate for anti-aging interventions, velvet antler peptides hold great promise in clinical application and may offer new strategies for delaying aging and treating aging-related diseases.

鹿茸多肽的抗衰老功效：叙述性综述

摘要

鹿茸在中国已有几千年的药用历史，具有丰富的药用价值，其中大量的多肽、氨基酸等成分现阶段已被广泛研究。多年来，人们一直认为衰老是一个病理过程，容易引发多种疾病。在人体衰老过程中，体内分子、细胞和器官损伤的积累会诱发一系列疾病，如心血管疾病、代谢性疾病、神经系统疾病等。近年来，随着老龄人口的不断增加，衰老带来的问题也日益严重，寻找能有效延缓甚至治疗衰老相关疾病的物质已迫在眉睫，而鹿茸多肽在这方面的潜力还有待挖掘。鹿茸肽具有抗皮肤氧化、延缓衰老、保护神经系统、抗肿瘤、治疗骨质疏松症和关节炎、抗卵巢衰老等药理作用。文章重点总结了鹿茸多肽对衰老相关疾病的药理活性，希望能为鹿茸多肽的药理研究和产品开发提供思路。此外，文章还强调了鹿茸多肽在临床应用中的重要性，尤其是其在提高老年人生活质量和延长健康寿命方面的重要潜在价值。总之，鹿茸多肽作为一种天然的抗衰老候选物质，其临床应用意义重大，有望为延缓衰老和治疗衰老相关疾病提供新的策略。