Aging of the Heart and Cardiovascular System

Effects of puerarin on chronic inflammation: Focus on the heart, brain, and arteries

“…Atherosclerosis is a chronic, lipid‐driven, inflammatory disease of the arterial wall causing multifocal plaque development with or without thrombosis and is dramatically increased with aging. 5 In an atherosclerotic rabbit model, puerarin treatment inhibited lipid deposition and NF‐kB inflammatory activation, eventually preventing the progression of atherosclerosis. 35 In mice fed a high fat diet, puerarin treatment lowered serum lipid levels and body weight; reduced fatty acid synthase, adenosine monophosphate‐activated protein kinase (AMPK), and carnitine acyltransferase activation; and prevented lipid accumulation in the arterial wall.…”

“…Heart failure is a complex syndrome that results from structural changes, such as cardiac arrythmia, cardiac hypertrophy, or functional impairment of ventricular function, which are markedly increased with advancing age. 5 Angiotensin II (Ang II) treatment increased the serine/threonine protein kinase (AKT) and the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway, reduced an activation of autophagy, and importantly inhibited collagen secretion from atrial fibroblasts and collagen deposition, however, these adverse molecular and cellular effects were significantly alleviated or abolished by puerarin treament. 45 Collagen aberrant deposition and aggregation in the atrial wall is the pathologic foundation of developing super‐ventricular arrythmia.…”

“…Atherosclerosis is a chronic, lipid‐driven, inflammatory disease of the arterial wall causing multifocal plaque development with or without thrombosis and is dramatically increased with aging 5 . In an atherosclerotic rabbit model, puerarin treatment inhibited lipid deposition and NF‐kB inflammatory activation, eventually preventing the progression of atherosclerosis 35 .…”

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Aging is a chronic low-level proinflammatory process in response to the physical and mental stress, known as allostatic load, that results in the progressive functional decline and structural degeneration of cells, tissues, and organs, such as in the heart, brain, and arteries. [1][2][3][4][5] These structural and functional alterations are the fertile soil for developing age-associated diseases, such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, heart failure, and cognitive decline. [1][2][3][4]6 Growing evidence indicates that it is impossible to stop chorological aging, per se, but slowing down the rate of biological aging is entirely achievable.

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