Elamipretide improves oocyte quality and restores fertility in aged mice

In female mice experiencing reproductive aging, administration of the peptide elamipretide increased litter size and ameliorated age-related declines in oocyte quality. Researchers observed that the treatment improved both nuclear and cytoplasmic maturation in aged mouse oocytes. Metabolomic and transcriptomic profiling revealed broad restoration of biological pathways, accompanied by enhanced mitochondrial metabolism, organelle reorganization, and cytoskeletal dynamics. Mechanistically, elamipretide alleviated age-associated maturation defects by synergistically activating the vitamin B6-VEGF signaling axis. Beyond rodent models, the authors evaluated elamipretide across other species. In aged human oocytes, the peptide significantly promoted maturation, fertilization, and cleavage rates. It also rescued the developmental competence of porcine oocytes subjected to oxidative damage.