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Entropy Meets Physiology: Should We Translate Aging as Disorder?
Marco Tatullo1,2,3
1Department of Translational Biomedicine and Neuroscience (DIBRAIN), University of Bari ALDO MORO, Bari, Italy.
Stem Cells (Dayton, Ohio)
|November 12, 2023
Summary
Biological aging alters multipotent stem cells (MSCs), reducing their function and contributing to age-related diseases. This review explores MSC changes, inflammation
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Cell Biology
- Immunology
Background:
- Aging is a complex process involving physiological decline and increased disease susceptibility.
- Multipotent stem/progenitor cells, including mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs), normally maintain tissue homeostasis and repair DNA damage.
- Aging negatively impacts MSCs' self-renewal, differentiation, and immunomodulatory functions, altering the tissue microenvironment and contributing to senescence.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the key alterations in MSCs during the aging process.
- To elucidate the role of inflammation in age-related syndromes.
- To explore a potential thermodynamic analogy between aging and entropy.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of scientific research on aging and MSCs.
- Analysis of cellular senescence as a response to damage.
- Discussion of the relationship between inflammation and aging.
Main Results:
- Aging significantly impairs MSC functions, affecting tissue repair and homeostasis.
- Inflammation is identified as a critical factor in age-related conditions.
- A conceptual link between biological aging and the thermodynamic concept of entropy is proposed.
Conclusions:
- Aging leads to a decline in MSC function and an increase in inflammation, exacerbating age-related diseases.
- The concept of aging as a process of increasing disorder, analogous to entropy, warrants further investigation.
- Understanding these changes is crucial for developing interventions against age-related decline.
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