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Posted on Nov 12, 2013, 6 a.m.
A trigger of aging-related inflammation causes a loss of metabolic and immune functions, to result in arthritis, Alzheimer's, diabetes, and more.
Inflammation is the common denominator of many chronic age-related diseases such as arthritis, gout, Alzheimer's, and diabetes. Vishwa Deep Dixit, from Yale School of Medicine (Connecticut, USA), and colleagues have identified a compound, known as Nlrp3, as a trigger of aging-related inflammation. The team revealed that this compound causes a loss of function that manifests as insulin resistance, bone loss, frailty, and cognitive decline. The study authors are hopeful that future therapeutics targeted at lowering Nlrp3 might "delay multiple age-related chronic diseases."
Youm, Yun-Hee; Grant, Ryan W.; McCabe, Laura R.; Albarado, Diana C.; Nguyen, KimYen; Ravussin, Anthony; Dixit, Vishwa Deep, et al. "Canonical Nlrp3 Inflammasome Links Systemic Low-Grade Inflammation to Functional Decline in Aging." Cell metabolism, volume 18 issue 4 pp.519 - 532.
