衰老与动脉粥样硬化关系的研究进展

Atherosclerosis in relation to aging

动脉粥样硬化及其相关疾病严重威胁人类的健康,其中衰老是重要的内在发病原因,可通过以下多种机制起致病作用:衰老引起血管内皮细胞功能障碍,影响受损内皮细胞的更新;衰老引起脂质代谢紊乱,诱导氧化型低密度脂蛋白产生增多;衰老还可刺激血管平滑肌细胞迁徙,使细胞表型发生改变,细胞增殖能力减退,导致斑块纤维帽变薄而增加易损性。目前端粒修复、线粒体功能矫正、修复受损DNA或增加抗衰老蛋白的表达等可延缓衰老的方法可有助于改善上述病理生理过程,从而防治动脉粥样硬化发生和发展。

Aging plays a central role in the development of atherosclerosis and the related diseases, which pose a great threat to the people′s health. Aging is associated with the onset of atherosclerosis by the following mechanisms （1） endothelial dysfunction as a consequence of aging impedes renewal of damaged endothelial cells; （2） disordered lipid metabolism as a consequence of aging induces more production of oxidized low-density lipoprotein; （3） aging can also stimulate the migration of vascular smooth muscle cells, change their phenotype, and compromise their proliferation ability, thus increasing vulnerability of the plaques because of the thin fibrous cap. At present, anti-aging machineries can be beneficial against the above pathophysiological processes, such as telomere repair, correction of the mitochondrial function, repair of the damaged DNA or enhancement of the anti-aging protein expression, helping to prevent the development and onset of atherosclerosis.