Epigenetic effects of physical activity in elderly patients with cardiovascular disease.

Epigenetic effects of physical activity in elderly patients with cardiovascular disease. Exp Gerontol. 2017 Oct 23;: Authors: Recchioni R, Marcheselli F, Antonicelli R, Mensà E, Lazzarini R, Procopio AD, Olivieri F Abstract Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is an important public health problem affecting especially the elderly. Over the past 20years, an increasing number of studies have examined its underlying pathophysiological mechanisms and new therapies are continually being discovered. However, despite considerable progress in CVD management, mortality and morbidity remain a major healthcare concern, and frequent hospital admissions compromise the daily life and social activities of these patients. Physical activity has emerged as an important non-pharmacological adjunctive therapy for CVD in older patients, especially for heart failure patients, exerting its beneficial effects on mortality, morbidity, and functional capacity. The mechanisms underlying the cardiovascular benefits of exercise are not wholly clear. Mounting evidence suggest that epigenetic modifications, such as DNA methylation, histone post-translational modifications (hPTMs) and non-coding RNA, especially microRNAs (miRNAs), may be induced by physical activity. Recently, a number of miRNAs have been identified as key players in gene expression modulation by exercise. MiRNAs are synthesized by living cells and actively released into the bloodstream through different ...
Source: Experimental Gerontology - Category: Geriatrics Authors: Tags: Exp Gerontol Source Type: research