Age and Human Regenerative Capacity Impact of Cardiovascular Risk Factors

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular health
• Regenerative medicine
• Aging research

Background:

• Human endogenous reparative capacity and its association with aging, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and risk factors (RFs) remain unclear.
• Circulating progenitor cells (PCs) are key indicators of regenerative potential.
• The impact of RFs and CVD on PC levels during aging requires investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the aging of endogenous reparative capacity.
• To determine if cardiovascular disease or its risk factors affect reparative capacity.
• To examine the effect of healthy aging versus aging with RFs or CVD on circulating progenitor cell (PC) levels.

Main Methods:

• Analyzed data from 2792 adult subjects categorized by RFs and CVD status.
• Enumerated PCs using flow cytometry, identifying specific cell surface markers.
• Utilized multivariable adjustment to assess associations between age, RFs, CVD, and PC counts.

Main Results:

• PC counts were higher in younger individuals, males, and those with larger body size.
• Both increasing age and higher RF/CVD burden were independently associated with lower PC counts.
• PC counts remained stable with age in healthy individuals, but interactions showed RFs increased PCs in younger subjects and decreased them in older subjects.

Conclusions:

• Circulating PC levels do not decline during healthy aging.
• RF exposure initially stimulates PC mobilization in younger individuals.
• Continued RF/CVD exposure is linked to reduced PC levels in later life, indicating an overall decline in regenerative capacity over the lifespan.