CCR2 Inhibition Promotes Muscle Regeneration in Aged Mice

Chronic inflammation is an important component of aging. The immune system becomes overactive, provoked by a range of problems that include persistent viral infections, increased amounts of molecular debris from dead and damaged cells, and the pro-inflammatory signaling of growing numbers of senescent cells. Inflammation is useful and even necessary in the short term, a part of the defense against pathogens and regeneration from injury. In youth, episodes of inflammation are resolved when no longer needed, but this progressively ceases to be the case in older individuals. Today's open access paper reports on research into the disruption of regeneration by chronic inflammation. Researchers are attempting to decipher the regulatory mechanisms of inflammation in various tissues and cell types to try to find ways to sabotage inflammatory processes in a usefully selective way, as simply shutting down all inflammation is very likely do more harm than good. It is worth noting, as usual, that this goal ignores the root causes of the issue. It should always be more effective to identify and address what is provoking the immune system, such as the presence of senescent cells, rather than trying to prevent downstream consequences by adjusting the operation of cellular metabolism without repairing underlying causes. Here, the focus is on the role of the receptor CCR2 in the effects of inflammation on muscle regeneration. Research into CCR2 in the context of inflammation and...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs