A recent study found that exposure of female roundworms to male pheromones slowed down the aging of the females’ egg cells, resulting in healthier offspring. The pheromones also reduced chromosomal abnormalities and produced visibly younger egg cells, as opposed to misshapen ones. Ilya Ruvinsky, research associate professor of molecular biosciences at Northwestern, was the lead researcher in the study.
“Reproductive aging affects everyone,” said Ruvinsky. “One of the first signs of biological aging is the decreased quality of reproductive cells, which causes reduced fertility, increased incidence of fetal defects including miscarriages, and eventually loss of fertility. By all criteria we could think of, male pheromones made the eggs better.”
According to the researchers, these findings could assist with human infertility issues by improving the quality and delaying the onset of reproductive aging in egg cells.
“The pheromones that roundworms use are not found in humans,” said Ruvinsky. “But the neurons they activate are very similar. We are working to design pharmacological interventions that manipulate these neurons to improve fertility while reducing the negative side effects. It remains to be seen, but it’s definitely worth trying.”
Learn more in Northwestern Now’s article, “Male pheromones improve health of females’ eggs.”