Lipofuscinogenesis in mice early treated with centrophenoxine.

Previous studies in our and other laboratories indicated that there is a reduction in the neuronal lipofuscin in old rodents after several weeks of treatment with centrophenoxine. The present study investigates whether this chemical can prevent pigment formation if given early in life before the onset of pigmentogenesis. The study shows that the drug did not stop lipofuscin formation in 1 month old mice. But there was a consistent decrease in the pigment in the neurons of cerebral cortex and hippocampus of the treated animals compared to the age-matched controls. The degree of reduction was largely dependent on the duration of the treatment and a significant diminution was noted after treatment for five months or more.