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Cardiovascular aging: the mitochondrial influence

Shakti Sagar1, Asa B Gustafsson1

  • 1Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.

The Journal of Cardiovascular Aging
|August 16, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Mitochondrial dysfunction drives cardiac aging and disease. This review explores how aging impacts heart mitochondria and discusses mechanisms behind declining function, crucial for understanding age-related cardiovascular issues.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Gerontology
  • Mitochondrial Biology

Background:

  • Cardiovascular disease prevalence increases with lifespan.
  • Aging leads to tissue function decline, particularly in the heart.
  • Heart aging mechanisms remain poorly understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Review evidence linking mitochondria to cardiac aging.
  • Discuss mechanisms of age-related mitochondrial dysfunction in the heart.
  • Explore mitochondria's role in age-associated cardiovascular disease susceptibility.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of studies on cardiac aging and mitochondria.
  • Analysis of research on mitochondrial function and dysfunction.
  • Synthesis of data on age-related changes in mitochondrial metabolism and cell survival pathways.

Main Results:

  • Mitochondria are central to cardiac energy demands via oxidative phosphorylation.
  • Mitochondrial dysfunction is implicated as a key driver of cardiac aging.
  • Aging affects mitochondrial metabolic processes, immune response activation, and cell death pathways.

Conclusions:

  • Mitochondrial dysfunction significantly contributes to the cardiac aging process.
  • Understanding these mechanisms is vital for addressing age-related cardiovascular diseases.
  • Targeting mitochondrial health may offer therapeutic strategies for aging hearts.

Keywords:
Agingheart diseasemitochondria

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