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Assessment of Vascular Tone Responsiveness using Isolated Mesenteric Arteries with a Focus on Modulation by Perivascular Adipose Tissues
Published on: June 3, 2019
Aging and endothelial dysfunction
Francesco Cosentino1, Elena Osto
1Cardiology, 2nd Faculty of Medicine, University "La Sapienza", Rome, Italy. f_cosentino@hotmail.com
Insights
Aging accelerates cardiovascular disease by impairing endothelial function through oxidative stress. Understanding these age-associated changes may lead to new treatments for heart conditions in older adults.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Science
- Gerontology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Aging is the primary risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), the leading cause of death and disability in Western countries.
- Cardiovascular structure and function naturally decline with age, an
- aging process
- that interacts with traditional risk factors.
- Age-associated endothelial dysfunction, driven by oxidative stress, is a key factor in cardiovascular aging.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the role of the aging process in cardiovascular disease development.
- To investigate the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying age-associated endothelial dysfunction.
- To identify potential therapeutic strategies for age-related cardiovascular diseases.
Main Methods:
- Literature review and data synthesis on aging and cardiovascular health.
- Analysis of molecular and cellular pathways involved in endothelial function.
- Examination of oxidative stress markers in aging cardiovascular systems.
Main Results:
- The aging process significantly impacts cardiovascular structure and function.
- Oxidative stress-induced endothelial dysfunction is a critical component of cardiovascular aging.
- Age-related changes modulate the impact of traditional cardiovascular risk factors.
Conclusions:
- The aging process is an independent determinant of cardiovascular health in the elderly.
- Targeting age-associated endothelial dysfunction may offer novel therapeutic avenues.
- Further research into molecular mechanisms can inform treatments for age-related heart disease.
Abstract:
Aging is the major risk factor for the development of cardiovascular diseases, the leading cause of morbidity, mortality and disability in western countries. Mounting data suggest that cardiovascular structure and function change with time as result of an "aging process", regarded as an independent process which accompanies aging, interwines and modulates superimposed traditional cardiovascular risk factors to determine the peculiar occurrence, presentations and prognosis of heart disease in the elderly. A whole body of data underlies the impairment of endothelial function due to oxidative stress as a crucial feature of the aging process acting on the cardiovascular system. Insights into molecular and cellular mechanisms of age-associated endothelial dysfunction may provide new strategies to treat age-related cardiovascular diseases.
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