Emerging Anti-Aging Strategies - Scientific Basis and Efficacy

Abstract

The prevalence of age-related diseases is in an upward trend due to increased life expectancy in humans. Age-related conditions are among the leading causes of morbidity and death worldwide currently. Therefore, there is an urgent need to find apt interventions that slow down aging and reduce or postpone the incidence of debilitating age-related diseases. This review discusses the efficacy of emerging anti-aging approaches for maintaining better health in old age. There are many anti-aging strategies in development, which include procedures such as augmentation of autophagy, elimination of senescent cells, transfusion of plasma from young blood, intermittent fasting, enhancement of adult neurogenesis, physical exercise, antioxidant intake, and stem cell therapy. Multiple pre-clinical studies suggest that administration of autophagy enhancers, senolytic drugs, plasma from young blood, drugs that enhance neurogenesis and BDNF are promising approaches to sustain normal health during aging and also to postpone age-related neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. Stem cell therapy has also shown promise for improving regeneration and function of the aged or Alzheimer's disease brain. Several of these approaches are awaiting critical appraisal in clinical trials to determine their long-term efficacy and possible adverse effects. On the other hand, procedures such as intermittent fasting, physical exercise, intake of antioxidants such as resveratrol and curcumin have shown considerable promise for improving function in aging, some of which are ready for large-scale clinical trials, as they are non-invasive, and seem to have minimal side effects. In summary, several approaches are at the forefront of becoming mainstream therapies for combating aging and postponing age-related diseases in the coming years.

Parkinson's disease, aging and adult neurogenesis: Wnt/β‐catenin signalling as the key to unlock the mystery of endogenous brain repair

“…Within the mechanisms affecting adult neurogenesis in brain diseases, oxidative, and especially nitrosative stress, are likely to play critical roles, given their contribution to the aging process and the development of age‐related diseases (Shetty et al, ). In PD especially, glial inflammatory mechanisms have long been recognized to contribute to both nigrostriatal degeneration and self‐repair (see Gao et al, ; Hirsh & Hunot, ; L'Episcopo, Tirolo, Peruzzotti‐Jametti, et al, ; L'Episcopo, Tirolo, Serapide, et al, ; Marchetti & Abbracchio, ; Marchetti, et al, ; McGeer & McGeer, ; Marchetti et al, ).…”

Adipose-derived stromal stem cells (ASCs) as a new regenerative immediate therapy combating coronavirus (COVID-19)-induced pneumonia

“…Intravenous infusion of MSCs leads in fact to their accumulation in the narrow capillaries of the lungs [41], where their activities playing a significant role in protecting or rejuvenating alveolar epithelial cells, counteracting fibrosis, and improving lung function. MSC infusion would likely be particularly beneficial to elderly individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2, both with and without co-morbidities, as this population is more susceptible to SARS-CoV-2-induced pneumonia, resulting in severe respiratory distress and death because of immune-senescence [42][43][44][45].…”

The Interstitial System of the Brain in Health and Disease

“…Significant transformations ensue in ISS during the development of the brain due to events such as neurogenesis, neuronal migration and differentiation, expansion of dendritic tree, synaptogenesis, gliogenesis, synaptic stripping by microglia, and myelination [1,[5][6][7][8][9][10]. The geometry of the brain ISS also undergoes modification in aging due to the loss of synapses, neurons, dendritic regression, changes in morphology and numbers of glia, senoinflammation, and deposition of amyloid plaques [11][12][13][14][15]. In conditions such as epilepsy, the synchronized firing of a population of neurons may considerably change the geometry of ISS as well as the ISF drainage [16].…”