A Systems Analysis—Thermodynamic View of Cellular and Organismic Aging

On the relationship between aging & cancer

“…As emphasized in the introduction, a thermodynamical systems viewpoint may be useful for theory testing, since the adequacy of a postulated mechanism of aging is best judged by its compatibility with senescent changes. 10 Moreover, in previous works, 19 we have shown how the thermodynamic formalism, allows to evaluate the evolution, robustness and complexity of cancer.…”

“…[10][11][12][13][14] Despite of not enjoy the same popularity as the formers, this approach provides much essential information. Only a systems analysis approach can offer an integrated picture of a phenomenon as complex and multifaceted as aging.…”

“…Furthermore, a thermodynamical systems viewpoint may be useful for theory testing, since the adequacy of a postulated mechanism of aging is best judged by its compatibility with senescent changes. 10 The main purpose of the present work is to discuss the relationship between the biological aging and cancer, with a unified approach using the thermodynamic point of view. The manuscript is organized as follow: In Section 5 is presented the methodology of work; theoretical framework based on thermodynamic formalism, particularly the entropy production rate due to metabolic rate for healthy humans and patients with metastatic carcinoma.…”

Role of Neuroimmunomodulation in Aging

“…Since oxygen is mainly used in cell respiration to support the life-maintaining metabolic processes, the mitochondria, and more concretely their DNA (mtDNA), are probably the first targets of this oxidation. As first pointed out by Miquel et al [5][6][7] , it is in the postmitotic cells that cannot fully regenerate those organelles where the aging process starts. Moreover, it is worth noting that the rate of mitochondrial oxygen radical generation, as well as the degree of membrane fatty acid unsaturation and oxidative damage to mtDNA are lower in long-living than in short-living species [10] .…”

“…Among all gerontological theories, the free radical concept proposed by Harman [4] attracts a lot of attention and is probably the most widely accepted to explain how the aging process functions. This theory, which was further developed by Miquel et al [5][6][7] and others [8,9] , proposes that aging is the result of damage accumulation (by deleterious oxidation) in biomolecules, caused by the high reactivity of the free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced in our cells as a result of the use of oxygen. Since oxygen is mainly used in cell respiration to support the life-maintaining metabolic processes, the mitochondria, and more concretely their DNA (mtDNA), are probably the first targets of this oxidation.…”