Brain HealthPopular Anti-Aging Drug Combo Dasatinib+Quercetin Causes Brain Damage in Mice
A drug combination widely used in anti-aging research — dasatinib paired with quercetin — caused serious brain damage in mice, according to new research from the University of Connecticut published in PNAS. The treatment stripped away myelin, the protective coating around nerve fibers essential for brain signaling, in both young and old mice. Younger animals suffered even greater damage. The affected brain cells didn't die but reverted to an immature, less functional state, with signs of disrupted energy metabolism. The corpus callosum, the structure linking the brain's two hemispheres, also deteriorated — changes resembling those seen in chemotherapy-related 'chemo brain.' While the findings are in mice, they raise serious concerns for people self-experimenting with this popular senolytic combination outside clinical supervision.
