Deprenyl: The Anti-Aging Drug

This is the story of the miracle medicine deprenyl (eldepryl), an inhibitor of the enzyme Monoamine Oxidase B. The book recounts how it was developed, the people that developed it and popularised it, the amazing benefits it provides to sufferers of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, its preventive action against these, and its by now unquestioned role in extending lifespan. In the Foreword, Saul Kent of the Life Extension Foundation takes a look at studies that confirm and extend the evidence of deprenyl's remarkable life extension benefits. He discusses its role in Alzheimer's disease, its mechanism of action, safety, boosting of anti-oxidant enzyme activity and how it extends lifespan. The main body of the book tells the tale of Selegiline, Deprenyl or Eldepryl. It starts in the USA where instances are provided of how this medicine miraculously improved the lives of sufferers from Parkinson's disease. Deprenyl is part of a group called the MAO Inhibitors. The first of these was Iproniazid, originally developed to treat tuberculosis, when it was discovered that it lifted the mood of sufferers from this disease. As a result, the MAO Inhibitors were used to treat depression, but they had severe side effects because of an interaction with certain foods like cheese. In Budapest, Professor Joseph Knoll and Elizabeth Miller designed the molecule in 1961. Knoll kept it alive for 15 years until it went on sale in Hungary in 1978 as a treatment for Parkinson's. In 1971 Knoll argued that deprenyl does not have the side effects of the other MAOI's because it is a selective inhibitor of MAO. The article that finally opened the door to the worldwide use of deprenyl appeared in The Lancet in 1971. A large part of the story is dedicated to the history of the trials and tribulations of getting deprenyl approved by the FDA for sale in the USA. This finally happened in June 1989 and only for Parkinson's. The body's own most potent three internal free-radical scavengers are Glutathione Peroxidase, Superoxide Dismutase and Catalase. Subsequent studies have revealed that in addition to inhibiting Monoamine Oxidase B, deprenyl also strongly boosts the production of the anti-oxidant Superoxide Dismutase, and to a lesser extent, Catalase. In the foreword, Kent discusses the findings of several studies of this beneficial effect of deprenyl. Appendix A is Case Studies by Dr Ronald Klatz of the American Longevity Research Institute. Appendix B consists of five abstracts: 3 Life Extension Studies by Dr Knoll, Dr Milgram and Dr Kitani, Deprenyl's Effect on Superoxide Dismutase and Catalase by Dr Kitani, and The Rescue Of Dying Neurons by Dr Tatton. Appendix C provides information on Alastair Dow, Dr Ronald M Klatz and Saul Kent. The interested reader may also find Life Extension Magazine of value, plus the books The New-Anti Aging Revolution: Stopping The Clock by the aforementioned Dr Ronald Klatz, and Mind Boosters by Dr Ray Sahelian.

My father has Parkinson's disease. This book gave me a lot of useful information about Deprenyl's progress through the years. It is written in an interesting format that draws your interest. I could relate to the book with symptoms and progression. It outlines the history-who and why-of Deprenyl and is detailed with case studies and testimonials. It even makes me think that I may explore taking Deprenyl myself when I am older for prevention of degenerative progress of aging. Read the book cover to cover--if you skip around many of the ironic and interesting details will be lost.