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ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE

Exploratory functional, histological, and biochemical outcomes following OctaAge administration in naturally aged female Diannan small-ear pigs

Lei Wang1,2† ,  Xiangfeng Yang1,3† ,  Guoqiang Li4† ,  Yixiao Chen1,3 ,  Yu Yang1,3 ,  Hong Xue1,3 ,  Yingying Xiang5 ,  Can Hu5 ,  Can Hu5 ,  Guoqiang Zhu1,3 ,  Guoqing Yin1,3 ,  Haiyang Hu1,3 ,  Qin Fu2 ,  Ming Li4 ,  Zhang Li4 ,  Lei Jin4 ,  Chen Li2 ,  Qinwei Tang2 ,  Zhiyuan Zhang2 ,  Gang Wang6 ,  Zhenxing Wang1,3 ,  Xiaobo Liao2 ,  Yulong Yin4* ,  Mei Liu4* ,  Hui Xie1,3*
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1 Department of Orthopedics, Movement System Injury and Repair Research Center, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan , China
2 Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan , China
3 National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan , China
4 College of Animal Science and Technology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan , China
5 Department of Metabolism and Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan , China
6 Zhuhai Hengqin ONA Regenerative Medicine Co., Ltd., Zhuhai, Guangdong , China
†These authors contributed equally to this work.
CAR, 026270005 https://doi.org/10.36922/CAR026270005
Received: 29 June 2026 | Revised: 10 September 2026 | Accepted: 24 September 2026 | Published online: 8 October 2026
© 2026 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
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Abstract

Anti-aging interventions increasingly aim to modify more than one biological process, yet most candidates are still tested first in short-lived models, leaving limited information from naturally aged large animals. We evaluated OctaAge (an eight-component anti-aging formulation containing L-theanine, calcium alpha-ketoglutarate, resveratrol, quercetin, fisetin, apigenin, magnesium bisglycinate, and spermidine) in 11 female Diannan small-ear pigs aged 7–8 years. After a one-month acclimation period, pigs were allocated, without a random sequence and using age and body weight for balance, to a concurrent feed-control group or three months of OctaAge administration. Cardiac function and body weight were monitored longitudinally; endpoint analyses included behavioral changes, organ coefficients, femoral quantitative ultrasound measurements, intervertebral disc morphology, serum chemistry, and histological findings. OctaAge-treated pigs showed higher ejection fraction and fractional shortening, greater open-field exploration, and a higher T-maze correct-choice rate than the control group. Histological analyses showed lower cardiac collagen content and cardiomyocyte cross-sectional area, lower liver and kidney collagen content, higher hippocampal Nissl-positive area, and larger skeletal-muscle fiber cross-sectional area in OctaAge-treated pigs. Femoral quantitative ultrasound measurements were also higher in OctaAge-treated pigs, whereas body-weight trajectories were similar between groups. Renal chemistry, glucose, and lipid measures did not change significantly. OctaAge administration was therefore associated with differences in selected aging-related functional and histological parameters in this naturally aged pig cohort. Given the non-randomized design, small sample size, and multiple exploratory endpoints, the findings require confirmation in a prespecified, adequately powered study.

Keywords
Natural aging
Large-animal model
Multi-compound formulation
Translational geroscience
Anti-aging intervention
Funding
This study was supported by the Health Research Project of Hunan Provincial Health Commission (grant number 20258058) and Hunan Provincial Science and Technology Innovation Program (grant number 2024DK2004).
Conflict of interest
Prof. Hui Xie serves as the Editor-in-Chief of this journal, but was not in any way involved in the editorial and peer-review process conducted for this paper, directly or indirectly. The authors have filed a patent application related to the OctaAge anti-aging multi-compound formulation (application no. 2026113300469); the application is pending and has not been granted at the time of manuscript preparation. Gang Wang is affiliated with Zhuhai Hengqin ONA Regenerative Medicine Co., Ltd., which supplied the formulation used in this study. The relationship between the authors and LifeSpanPlus LLC was limited to scientific collaboration; no author had an employment, consulting, advisory, equity, funding, or other financial relationship with LifeSpanPlus LLC in connection with this study. OctaAge was the research designation used for the LifeSpanPlus LLC ReVitalizer product and was not a distinct commercial formulation. The authors declare no other competing interests.
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