A new insight into cell biological and biochemical changes through aging

Acta Histochem. 2022 Jan;124(1):151841. doi: 10.1016/j.acthis.2021.151841. Epub 2022 Jan 4.

Abstract

After several years of extensive research, the main cause of aging is yet elusive. There are some theories about aging, such as stem cell aging, senescent cells accumulation, and neuro-endocrine theories. None of them is able to explain all changes that happen in cells and body through aging. By finding out the main cause of aging, it will be much easier to control, prevent and even reverse the aging process. Our cells, regardless of their replicative capacity, get old through aging and they have almost the same epigenetic age. Different cell signaling pathways contribute to aging. The most important one is mTORC1 that becomes hyperactive in cells that undergo aging. Other significant changes with age are lysosome accumulation, impaired autophagy, and mitophagy. Immune system undergoes gradual changes through aging including a shift from lymphoid to myeloid lineage production as well as increased IL-6 and TNF-α which lead to age-related weight loss and meta-inflammation. Additionally, our endocrine system also experiences some changes that should be taken into consideration when looking for the main cause of aging in the human body. In this review, we planned to summarize some of the changes that happen in cells and the body through aging.

Keywords: Aging; Cell senescence; Hormonal changes; Immuno-senescence; MTORC1; Senolytics.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Aging*
  • Autophagy
  • Cellular Senescence*
  • Humans
  • Inflammation
  • Stem Cells