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Saturday 23 July 2016

A synopsis on aging—Theories, mechanisms and future prospects

Volume 29, 1 August 2016, Pages 90-112

  (Review)

a  CESAM and Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, Aveiro, Portugal
b  Department of Medical Sciences, Institute for Biomedicine—iBiMED, University of Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, Aveiro, Portugal
c  Department of Physiology and Cardiothoracic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal 

Abstract

Answering the question as to why we age is tantamount to answering the question of what is life itself. There are countless theories as to why and how we age, but, until recently, the very definition of aging – senescence – was still uncertain. Here, we summarize the main views of the different models of senescence, with a special emphasis on the biochemical processes that accompany aging. Though inherently complex, aging is characterized by numerous changes that take place at different levels of the biological hierarchy. We therefore explore some of the most relevant changes that take place during aging and, finally, we overview the current status of emergent aging therapies and what the future holds for this field of research. From this multi-dimensional approach, it becomes clear that an integrative approach that couples aging research with systems biology, capable of providing novel insights into how and why we age, is necessary. © 2016 Elsevier B.V.

Author keywords

Aging; Anti-aging therapies; Biochemistry; Biology; Senescence
ISSN: 15681637 CODEN: ARRGASource Type: Journal Original language: English
DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2016.06.005Document Type: Review
Publisher: Elsevier Ireland Ltd

  da Costa, J.P.; CESAM and Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, Portugal; email:jpintocosta@ua.pt
© Copyright 2016 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.