Researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have identified a major factor that drives chronic inflammation, which in turn accelerates aging and leads to age-related diseases like heart conditions and neurodegenerative disorders.
Led by Bimal N. Desai, the team found that impaired calcium signaling in the mitochondria of macrophages, a type of immune cell, is responsible for chronic inflammation, often termed “inflammaging.”
Role of Calcium Signaling in Inflammation
The study reveals that mitochondria in macrophages lose their ability to properly utilize calcium as we age.
Since mitochondria are vital for cellular energy, this impairment leads to chronic inflammation, causing many of the health problems associated with aging.
Importance of Macrophages
Macrophages are white blood cells that play a critical role in the immune system. They not only remove dead or dying cells but also act as sentinels against foreign invaders.
The research indicates that these macrophages become less effective with age, contributing to inflammaging.
Implications for Treatment
The researchers believe that enhancing calcium uptake in these cells could mitigate inflammation and its destructive effects. This could pave the way for new therapies that target a variety of age-related diseases.
The problem is not a mere lack of calcium but an inability of macrophages to utilize it effectively.
The researchers aim to better understand the precise molecular mechanisms at play and explore ways to stimulate this machinery in aging cells.
The findings could have far-reaching implications for treating age-related diseases, particularly those affecting the heart and brain.
The study also opens the door to potentially boosting the immune system in old age, a time when susceptibility to disease increases.
This interdisciplinary study, combining computational biology, immunology, cell biology, and biophysics, offers a conceptual breakthrough in understanding chronic inflammation and aging.
The research is published in the journal Nature Aging and was spearheaded by graduate student Phil Seegren.
“Now, moving forward, we need an equally ambitious effort to figure out the wiring that controls this mitochondrial process in different types of macrophages and then manipulate that wiring for biomedical impact,” said Desai.
This discovery could not only increase lifespan but also significantly improve the quality of life in our later years by targeting inflammaging, a key driver of age-associated ailments.
If you care about inflammation, please read studies about the big cause of inflammation in common bowel disease, and new cancer treatments may reawaken the immune system.
For more information about nutrition, please see recent studies about new way to halt excessive inflammation, and results showing foods that could cause inflammation,
The study was published in Nature Aging.
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