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Vitamin C slows primate aging by targeting iron-driven lipid peroxidation
1State Key Laboratory of Female Fertility Promotion, Department of Medical Genetics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China; Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
Cell Metabolism
|April 8, 2026
Summary
Researchers found that iron-driven lipid peroxidation, mediated by ACSL4, contributes to primate aging. Vitamin C directly suppresses this process, offering a potential strategy to reduce age-associated functional decline.
Area of Science:
- Biogerontology
- Metabolic pathways
- Oxidative stress
Background:
- Aging is linked to oxidative stress, but metabolic drivers are not fully understood.
- Lipid peroxidation is a key process implicated in cellular damage during aging.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify the metabolic drivers of aging.
- To investigate the role of lipid peroxidation in primate aging.
- To explore potential interventions for age-associated functional decline.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of conserved aging pathways in primates.
- Investigating the role of ACSL4 in lipid peroxidation.
- Assessing the effect of vitamin C on aging processes.
Main Results:
- Identified a conserved, iron-driven lipid peroxidation pathway in primate aging.
- Demonstrated that ACSL4 mediates this lipid peroxidation.
- Showed that vitamin C directly suppresses this aging-related lipid peroxidation.
Conclusions:
- Iron-driven lipid peroxidation mediated by ACSL4 is a key metabolic driver of primate aging.
- Vitamin C is a potent suppressor of this process.
- Vitamin C presents a translatable strategy to mitigate age-associated functional decline.
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