The role of arginase in aging: A systematic review

Aging is a normal, progressive and multi-step degeneration in the physiological functions and metabolic processes of living organisms until death. It represents the main risk factor for many diseases (e.g. cancer, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases) and contributes to increase in mortality. Aging results, at least partially, from an accumulation of cell and tissue damage related to inherited and environmental factors, leading to biological and biochemical dysregulations. Arginase is a ubiquitous L-arginine-metabolizing enzyme involved in some fundamental mechanisms such as the urea cycle or polyamines synthesis. There is a growing awareness that arginase activity and/or expression are disturbed in a tissue-dependent manner during aging. However, whether these effects on arginase pathway are a primary cause or merely a consequence of aging is still an open question. In this review dealing with the interplay between the arginase pathway and aging, we will explore the involvement of arginase in aging mechanisms and, reversely, the impact of aging on the arginase pathway in various tissues and cells. Finally, the potential interest of arginase inhibition in aging and age-related diseases will also be analyzed.