Immunometabolism in the Aging Heart.

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Science
• Immunology
• Metabolic Biology

Background:

• Cardiac aging is characterized by structural, functional, and molecular changes.
• These changes are influenced by the interplay between immune signaling and cellular metabolism (immunometabolism).
• An aging population faces increased cardiovascular risk and cancer incidence, highlighting the need to understand cardiac aging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the crosstalk between cellular metabolic pathways and immune processes in cardiac aging.
• To explore how aging alters the heart's immune environment, affecting immune cell metabolism, mitochondrial function, and redox signaling.
• To identify therapeutic strategies targeting the immunometabolic axis for cardiac health.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of studies on cardiac aging, immunometabolism, and therapeutic interventions.
• Analysis of metabolic pathways (glycolysis, oxidative phosphorylation, fatty acid metabolism) in the context of cardiac aging.
• Examination of immune cell metabolism, mitochondrial dysfunction, and redox signaling in the aging heart.

Main Results:

• Aging drives changes in immune cell metabolism, mitochondrial dysfunction, and redox signaling, exacerbating inflammation and impairing repair.
• Metabolic shifts in the aging heart accelerate functional decline and create a vicious cycle of inflammation.
• Cancer therapies can worsen cardiotoxicity in aging hearts due to pre-existing immunometabolic disruptions.

Conclusions:

• Targeting the immunometabolic axis offers potential therapies for cardiac aging pathologies.
• Interventions include modulating metabolic intermediates, enhancing mitochondrial function, and utilizing immune signaling pathways.
• Advances in immunometabolism research can translate preclinical findings into improved quality of life for the aging population.