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Chapter 6: Procaine, the Famous One
It was after 1962 that some of the strongest evidence FOR procaine has accumulated. First, some gerontologists (Abrams, Gordon, et al JOURNAL OF GERONTOLOGY 20(2)(1965) 139-151) looked very closely at the US and British studies which had shown that procaine was of no value. None of those studies had used the same preparation as that which Aslan used: in addition to procaine, Aslan had used several additives. They made an exhaustive chemical study of Aslan's drug; one additive, in particular, benzoic acid (which was present in Aslan's drug but not in the US and British procaine) could be shown to markedly improve the adsorption of procaine by fats (one of which was butanoic acid), and by implication within the human body. They also made a double-blind study of procaine, this time using TWO different preparations: AP, the American procaine without additives, and EP, the European procaine used by Aslan. Once more, for the American procaine they found no effect, but for EP they found some clearly significant effects, both on the patient's mental state and physiology. They used several different means to score psychological improvement, and their study was far more thorough than the US and British studies which had turned thumbs down on procaine; a total of 49 percent of subjects given EP showed improvement, compared to 19 percent improvement for those given either AP or saline solution.
They could also detect improvements in physiology, though both changes were of a rather obscure character. In old people as compared to young, many physiological changes occur: two of these are of interest here. First, the velocity with which the nerves conduct impulses DECREASES in the old. Second, old people excrete measurrably more of one class of chemical, the 17-keto- steroids, in their urine. Abrams and Gordon found that old people given EP (but not AP) improved in both these respects: nerve conduction velocity went up, and excretion of 17-ketosteroids went down. They measured several other qualities which change with age, but found no improvement in these for any subjects.
Anna Aslan also produced further evidence for her drug after 1962. In JOURNAL OF GERONTOLOGY 20(1965)1-8, she reports her results in a long study of the effect of procaine on the lifespan of Wistar white rats. She used 1840 rats, 920 treated animals and 920 controls, and studied not merely lifespans, but electrocardiograms, ability to learn mazes, and cell pathology of her animals. In all these parameters, treated animals did significantly better than untreated ones. The male rats (not the females) lived 20 percent longer than untreated rats. Both male and female treated rats did better on maze learning and had less heart disease than controls: almost 80 percent of control animals at 24 months showed signs of heart trouble, but only 30 percent of treated animals did so.
Two other studies of procaine in animals exist. One by Verzar (GERONTOLOGIA 3(1959) 350-358) using six times the dosage that Aslan used, found no effect on longevity or on one measure of aging (crosslinkage of collagen). A second study by Berger (PATH BIOL (PARIS) 8(1960) 1162-1166) found an average increase in survival of five months, agreeing with Aslan's work.
Both papers by Abrams, Gordon et al are far more thorough and detailed than any study by doctors skeptical of procaine. Although they found no proof of greater longevity or physical health, they could measure some clear changes in the direction of rejuvenation: nerve velocities and 17-ketosteroids. Abrams, Gordon et al state that these changes alone would not, they felt, be enough to justify taking the drug. They may still, however, be signs of some more important underlying improvement which the tests of Abrams, Gordon et al did not reveal. Aslan's study is particularly noteworthy as by far the most careful and accurate study of ANY drug for aging in animals on record, even by today, 1994. Many studies of drugs for use in aging use only 60 animals and do not study cell pathology, learning, or electrocardiograms. I feel that both papers give clear evidence of effectiveness, to an unknown degree.
What is known about dose and toxicity of procaine?
In her experiment with rats, Anna Aslan gave her rats injections of 4 mg/kg, 3 times a week for one month, followed by a rest period of one month, and then injections again, so that her rats received the drug every other month. If a rat is assumed to weigh 300 gm, and dose varies as the 2/3 power of body weight, this works out to a dose of about 35 mg in a 70 kg man, 3 times a
week. The human tests of procaine used injections of 100 mg, 3 times weekly (2 percent solutions of EP in 2ml saline). Schwarzhaupt, a German firm which makes a form of procaine capsules for use in aging, suggests a dosage of 50 mg/day procaine. Close analysis of the dosage in the Abrams, Gordon et al experiment gives a dosage of about 92 mg/day procaine and 5 mg/day benzoic acid to approximate their experimental doses.
For both procaine and benzoic acid the toxicity results are fairly good, though not perfect. Procaine is well known as a local anesthetic; the biggest problem with procaine is the possibility of allergy. Out of 3,900 dentists who had extensive contract with procaine, as many as 3 percent developed hypersensitivity to it. All sources strongly recommend that someone be tested for allergic reaction to the drug before they receive it; we can expect that someone may become more prone to such a reaction after long use, which is exactly what is needed for aging. Other drugs related to procaine, such as lidocaine, xylocaine, tetracaine, and others, show the same tendency to cause allergic reactions. Benzoic acid is a commonly used food preservative, common in fruits, and appears also in fungicidal ointments. A dose of 5 mg/day is within the WHO limits for benzoic acid as a food additive (WHO Tech Reports No. 228). Benzoic acid can also cause allergies.
The US FDA has prohibited the sale of the geriatric procaine preparations (GH3) in the United States. However, procaine tablets of 50 mg and 100 mg are available as the anesthetic Novacaine. Novacaine is sold both with and without the drug adrenalin added. Since prolonged consumption of adrenalin will be dangerous EXTREME CARE should be taken to see that the procaine DOES NOT CONTAIN ADRENALIN. Second, benzoic acid is commonly available as a food additive and ONLY this type should be used: chemicals made for laboratory use very often contain HIGHLY TOXIC IMPURITIES. Benzoic acid is available on the free market; however procaine requires a DOCTOR'S PRESCRIPTION.
Finally, some overseas companies will sell GH-3 to US residents by mail. Because the FDA forbids sale within US borders, anyone who wants to buy from overseas needs to understand that overseas suppliers will remain small and change constantly. Large drug companies, overseas or not, do not want to incur the wrath of the US FDA. Readers who wish to find overseas suppliers might write to some of the companies listed in Appendix 3. Finally, because both procaine and benzoic acid can cause allergies (which can become fatal) anyone taking procaine or GH-3 in any form should have themselves tested for allergy to procaine and benzoic acid.
TO LEARN MORE:
Council on Drugs, "Procaine: its song is ended", JAMA 180(1963) 1965. This article contains a bibliography of negative evidence about procaine.
Abrams, Gordon, et al "The effects of a European procaine preparation in an aged population I, II.", JOURNAL OF GERONTOLOGY 20(1965), 139-143; 144-150.
Aslan, A et al, "Longterm treatment with procaine in albino rats", JOURNAL OF GERONTOLOGY 20(1965) 1-8.
Excerpta Medica Foundation, SIDE EFFECTS OF DRUGS NO.7, "Procaine", p.21.
WHO,"Evaluation of the toxicity of ... antimicrobials and antioxidants", WHO Tech Reports No. 228
| This article contains chapters from the book, A GUIDE TO ANTIAGING DRUGS, published by PERIASTRON.
Dr. Donaldson aimed to provide, in the GUIDE, a discussion of both the good points and the bad points, of every drug shown by experiment to prolong the healthy lifespan of some mammal. The mammals involved must normally reach at least the average lifespan of their species.
This Web Site provides only samples of only part of the GUIDE, which discusses other drugs also. | |