Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Oct 17, 2025 20 hours, 23 minutes ago
Medical News: Aging and the Blood Connection
As we grow older, our bodies show familiar signs of aging—graying hair, slower healing, and weaker muscles. But beneath the surface, our blood and immune systems also undergo dramatic changes. Scientists from the University of Illinois Chicago have uncovered a crucial factor behind this process: the decline of a protein called platelet factor 4 (PF4). Their new study reveals that replenishing this missing protein could actually rejuvenate aging blood stem cells, offering hope for combating immune decline and blood-related diseases that accompany old age.
Platelet Factor 4 Protein Could Hold the Secret to Reversing Aging Blood Cells
A Breakthrough in Understanding Immune Aging
In a young person, the body’s blood stem cells—known as hematopoietic stem cells—reside in the bone marrow and are capable of producing a healthy balance of immune and oxygen-carrying blood cells. But with aging, these cells tend to favor one path: making more myeloid cells and fewer lymphoid cells. This shift weakens immune defenses and increases susceptibility to infections, cancer, and inflammatory conditions. According to this
Medical News report, the research team led by Associate Professor Sandra Pinho discovered that the key culprit behind this imbalance is the loss of PF4, a vital messenger protein that helps regulate how stem cells multiply and mature.
How PF4 Keeps Blood Cells Young
In both mouse and human bone marrow samples, PF4 acted like a communication signal that told blood stem cells when to stop dividing. In youth, this balance keeps mutations in check. But as PF4 levels drop with age, stem cells divide more often and accumulate genetic errors, leading to immune dysfunction and a higher risk of blood cancers. When the scientists restored PF4 in older mice—by infusing the protein daily for over a month—their blood and immune cells began to look and behave like those of younger animals. Astonishingly, even old human stem cells in lab tests regained their youthful characteristics when exposed to PF4.
The Mechanism Behind Rejuvenation
The study identified two receptors, LDLR and CXCR3, that serve as docking stations for PF4 on hematopoietic stem cells. In mice lacking these receptors, aging effects worsened—confirming that PF4 signals through them to maintain stem cell health. PF4 supplementation reversed DNA damage, restored cell polarity, and improved the ability of old stem cells to regenerate blood. These findings suggest that age-related blood decline is not irreversible but can be biologically rewired by correcting PF4 deficiency.
A Step Toward Anti-Aging Therapies
While PF4 alone may not be a universal “fountain of youth,” its discovery opens new doors for regenerative medicine. Researchers believe PF4 could become a crucial component in therapies designed to rejuvenate the blood and immune system, potentially improving recovery in elderly patients or boosting t
he success of bone marrow transplants. The research, led by scientists from the University of Illinois Chicago’s College of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology and Regenerative Medicine, provides the first clear evidence that aging in blood-forming cells can be reversed at the molecular level.
Conclusion
The study’s implications reach far beyond just blood health. It demonstrates that aging is not a one-way process but can, at least in part, be slowed or even reversed by restoring lost cellular signals like PF4. Such findings could transform the way we approach aging-related disorders, offering the possibility of healthier immune systems, fewer age-linked cancers, and longer functional lifespans for future generations.
The study findings were published in the peer-reviewed journal: Blood.
https://ashpublications.org/blood/article-abstract/doi/10.1182/blood.2024027432/547160/Platelet-Factor-4-PF4-Regulates-Hematopoietic-Stem
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