Proinflammatory cytokines and ageing of the cardiovascular-renal system

Publication date: Available online 19 July 2018Source: Mechanisms of Ageing and DevelopmentAuthor(s): Paweł Smykiewicz, Agnieszka Segiet, Michelle Keag, Tymoteusz ŻeraAbstractCardiovascular health deteriorates with age, and age is one of the strongest risk factors for cardiovascular complications including myocardial infarction, heart failure, cardiac arrhythmias, and death related to heart diseases. In this review, we show that expression of proinflammatory cytokines (PICs) increases throughout the human lifespan, and this increase is correlated with cardiovascular health, morbidity, and mortality. We argue that increased concentrations of circulating PICs are not only markers of chronic low-grade inflammation, but they also serve as an important pathophysiological link between CV health and ageing. We discuss how PICs: 1) promote autonomic imbalance and sympathoexcitation; 2) enhance electrical instability of the myocardium, stimulate remodeling, and depress cardiac function; 3) prompt endothelial dysfunction, vasoconstriction, and progression of atherosclerosis; 4) impair renal function. All of these processes contribute to accelerated ageing of the CV system and increased susceptibility to CV morbidity and death.
Source: Mechanisms of Ageing and Development - Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research