Biomarkers of aging and lung function in the normative aging study

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Pulmonology
• Epigenetics

Background:

• Lung function declines with age, but biological mechanisms remain unclear, even in never-smokers of similar age and height.
• Biomarkers of aging (BoA) may offer insights into age-related physiological changes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between various biomarkers of aging and lung function in elderly individuals.
• To explore potential epigenetic mechanisms underlying pulmonary dysfunction in aging.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Normative Aging Study with linear mixed-effect models for repeated-measures analysis.
• Generated epigenetic age acceleration measures (GrimAgeAccel, PhenoAgeAccel, intrinsic/extrinsic), Zhang's DNAmRiskScore, telomere length (TL), and mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNA-CN).
• Assessed lung function via spirometry, measuring FEV1/FVC, FEV1, and MMEF.

Main Results:

• Epigenetic BoA, including GrimAgeAccel and Zhang's DNAmRiskScore, were significantly associated with lower lung function.
• Each year increase in GrimAgeAccel correlated with a decline in FEV1; increased DNAmRiskScore linked to reduced MMEF.
• No significant associations were observed between TL or mtDNA-CN and lung function parameters.

Conclusions:

• Epigenetic age acceleration is associated with diminished lung function in the elderly.
• Epigenetics may represent a key biological mechanism contributing to age-related pulmonary decline.
• Further research into epigenetic modifications could inform interventions for maintaining lung health in older adults.