FOXO4-DRI
Also: FOXO4 D-retro-inverso peptide, Proxofim
4 papers: 3 animal studies, 1 cell study.
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Summary
FOXO4-DRI is a synthetic peptide designed in 2017 by a group at Erasmus MC in the Netherlands to kill senescent cells, the damaged cells that stop dividing but accumulate with age. It copies a stretch of the FOXO4 protein but is built from D-amino acids in reverse order, which makes it resistant to breakdown, and carries a cell-penetrating tag. It is a research compound; no human trials have been published.
What it targets
The peptide blocks the interaction between FOXO4 and p53 inside senescent cells, which in the original study caused those cells, and not healthy ones, to undergo programmed cell death. In mice it reduced the toxicity of the chemotherapy drug doxorubicin and was associated with improved fitness, fur density and kidney function in fast-ageing and naturally aged animals. Later studies reported clearance of senescent Leydig cells and higher testosterone in aged mice, reduced markers of blood-vessel ageing in aged mice, and removal of senescent cells from cultured human cartilage cells without improving their ability to form cartilage. All published evidence is in animals or cell culture.
Clinical Research
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