Abstract
Aim
Nowadays, cathepsins have been reported to be related to aging. The aim of this study is to evaluate the association between serum levels of cathepsin D (CTSD) and human aging.
Methods
In the present study, we analyzed the serum levels of CTSD and its relation with levels of sirtuin1 (SIRT1) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) activity, which were known having an important role in aging. This study recruited 90 healthy subjects (62 men and 28 women), which were subdivided into three groups with respect to age: young (about 19 years old, n = 30), middle-age (about 40 years old, n = 30), and aged (above 65 years old, n = 30). Altered serum levels of CTSD and SIRT1 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and eNOS activity was assessed by the conversion of 14C-l-arginine to 14C-L-citrulline.
Results
Elderly subjects had significantly lower CTSD, SIRT1, and eNOS than younger ones. Serum levels of CTSD were negatively correlated with age. There was a statistically significant positive correlation between serum levels of CTSD, eNOS, and SIRT1.
Conclusions
This study shows lower serum CTSD values in elderly subjects than in younger subjects. This is the first to demonstrate age-related changes in cathepsin D levels in humans and the association between SIRT1 and eNOS.
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This study was supported by the National Natural Science Fund (No: 81401158).
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All authors certify that they have not had any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias this work. There is no conflict of interest for any of the authors.
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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The protocol of the study was approved by the ethics committee of Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital (Shanghai, China).
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Zhong, Y., Chen, A.F., Zhao, J. et al. Serum levels of cathepsin D, sirtuin1, and endothelial nitric oxide synthase are correlatively reduced in elderly healthy people. Aging Clin Exp Res 28, 641–645 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-015-0472-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-015-0472-7