Review|Volume 13, Issue 8|pp 12258—12272

Growth differentiation factor 11: a “rejuvenation factor” involved in regulation of age-related diseases?

Yuting Ma^1,², Yongping Liu^1,², Fang Han³, Hongyan Qiu^1,², Junfeng Shi^1,², Na Huang¹, Ningning Hou¹, Xiaodong Sun^1,²

¹Department of Endocrinology, Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, Weifang, China
²Department of Clinical Research Center, Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, Weifang, China
³Department of Pathology, Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, Weifang, China

* Equal contribution

Received: December 8, 2020Accepted: March 14, 2021Published: April 22, 2021

https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.202881

Copyright: © 2021 Ma et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Abstract

Growth differentiation factor 11 (GDF11), a member of the transforming growth factor β superfamily of cytokines, is a critical rejuvenation factor in aging cells. GDF11 improves neurodegenerative and neurovascular disease outcomes, increases skeletal muscle volume, and enhances muscle strength. Its wide-ranging biological effects may include the reversal of senescence in clinical applications, as well as the ability to reverse age-related pathological changes and regulate organ regeneration after injury. Nevertheless, recent data have led to controversy regarding the functional roles of GDF11, because the underlying mechanisms were not clearly established in previous studies. In this review, we examine the literature regarding GDF11 in age-related diseases and discuss potential mechanisms underlying the effects of GDF11 in regulation of age-related diseases.