Summary
After reaching sexual maturity, individual members of a species accumulate physiological decrements that lead to an increase in their likelihood of dying. This decline in function is called aging. For man, the likelihood of dying doubles every seven years beyond the age of 30.
The triumphs of modern medicine have not lengthened the human lifespan. Medical successes merely have permitted more people to reach what appears to be a fixed upper age limit. Life expectation has increased but life span has not. In many developed countries, one can now reasonably expect to become old, which is a very new phenomenon.
If the two leading causes of death in developed countries were to be eliminated (cardiovascular diseases and cancer), about 14 years of additional life expectation would occur for all age groups. Resolving all other causes of death would add an additional 2 years of life expectation. Thus if all causes of premature death were to be eliminated, all humans would live to be about 100 years of age. They would then die as the result of normal losses in physiological function which previously increased their vulnerability to an earlier death caused by disease or accidents. The diseases of old age are simply superimposed on the normal physiological decrements that occur after sexual maturation.
Studies on isolated human cells grown in laboratory cultures indicate that normal cells have a limited capacity to divide and to function. They have a chronometer that limits their replicative and functional capacity. Cells grown in culture from older donors have a reduced capacity to divide and function when compared to cells grown from younger donors. Before cells die in culture they reveal several hundred changes, many of which are similar to those changes that occur in the intact older human.
Current evidence leads to the belief that age changes are substantially due to changes that occur in the genetic machinery of individual cells. The changes apparently are induced by the same genetic program that operates throughout the life of the individual.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Bierman, E. L.: The effect of donor age on the in vitro lifespan of cultured human arterial smoothmuscle cells. In Vitro 14, 951–955 (1978).
Cudkowicz, G., Upton, A. C., Shearer, G. M., Hughes, W. L.: Lymphocyte content and proliferative capacity of serially transplanted mouse bone marrow. Nature 201, 165–167 (1964).
Danes, B. S.: Progeria: A cell culture study on aging. J. Clin. Invest. 50, 2000–2003 (1971).
Daniel, C. W., deOme, K. B., Young, J. T., Blair, P. B., Faulkin, L. J., Jr.: The in vivo lifespan of normal and preneoplastic mouse mammary glands: A serial transplantation study. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 61, 53–60 (1968).
Daniel, C. W., Young, L.J. T.: Influence of cell division on an aging process. Exp. Cell Res. 65, 27–32 (1971).
Daniel, C. W.: Finite growth span of mouse mammary gland serially propagated in vivo. Experientia (Basel) 29, 1422–1424 (1973).
Daniel, C. W., Aidells, B. D., Medina, B., Faulkin, L.J., Jr. -. Unlimited division potential of precancerous mouse mammary cells after spontaneous or carcinogen-induced transformation. Fed. Proc. 34, 64–67 (1975).
Dell’Orco, R. T., Mertens, J. G., Kruse, P. F., Jr.: Doubling potential, calendar time, and donor age of human diploid cells in culture. Exp. Cell Res. 84, 363–366 (1974).
Epstein, C.J., Martin, G.M., Schultz, A. L., Motulsky, A. G.: Werner’s syndrome: A review of its symptomatology, natural history, pathologic features, genetics and relationship to the natural aging process. Medicine (Baltimore) 45, 177–221 (1966).
Ford, C.E., Micklem, H. S., Gray, S.M.: Evidence of selective proliferation of reticular cell-clones in heavily irradiated mice. Br. J. Radiol. 32, 280 (1959).
Goldstein, S.: Lifespan of cultured cells in progeria. Lancet 1, 424 (1969).
Goldstein, S.: The biology of aging. N. Engl. J. Med. 285, 1120–1129 (1971).
Goldstein, S., Moerman, E. J., Soeldner, J. S., Gleason, R. E., Barnett, D. M.: Chronologic and physiologic age effect replicative lifespan of fibroblasts from diabetics, prediabetics, and normal donors. Science 199, 781–782 (1978).
Harley, C.B., Goldstein, S.: Cultured human fibroblasts: Distribution of cell generations and a critical limit. J. Cell Physiol. 97, 509–516 (1978).
Harrison, D. E.: Normal function of transplanted mouse erythrocyte precursors for 21 months beyond donor lifespans. Nature New Biol. 237, 220–222 (1972).
Harrison, D.E.: Normal Production of erythrocytes by mouse marrow continuous for 73 months. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 70, 3184–3188 (1973).
Harrison, D. E.: Normal function of transplanted marrow cell lines from aged mice. J. Gerontol. 30, 279–285 (1975).
Harrison, D.E.: Cell and tissue transplantation: a means of studying the aging process. In: C. Finch and E. Schneider (Eds.) Handbook of the Biology of Aging, (pp. 322–356). New York, Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. (1977).
Hay, R.J., Strehler, B. L.: The limited growth span of cell strains isolated from the chick embryo. Exp. Gerontol. 2, 123–135 (1967).
Hayflick, L., Moorhead, P. S.: The serial cultivation of human diploid cell strains. Exp. Cell Res. 25, 585–621 (1961).
Hayflick, L.: The limited in vitro lifetime of human diploid cell strains. Exp. Cell Res. 37, 614–636 (1965).
Hayflick, L.: Aging under glass. Exp. Gerontol. 5, 291–303 (1970).
Hayflick, L.: Cell senescence and cell differentiation in vitro. Vol.4, 1–15. In: H. Bredt and J. W. Rohen (Eds.), Aging and Development, F. K. Schattauer Verlag, Stuttgart, 1972.
Hayflick, L.: The biology of human aging. Am. J. Med. Sci. 265, 433–445 (1973).
Hayflick, L.: The cell biology of human aging. N. Engl. J. Med. 295, 1302–1308 (1976).
Hayflick, L.: The cellular basis for biological aging. In: C. Finch and L. Hayflick (Eds.), Handbook of the Biology of Aging, pp. 159–186. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1977.
Hayflick, L.: Cell Aging. In: C. Eisdorfer (Ed.), Annual Review of Gerontology and Geriatrics, pp. 26–67. New York: Springer, 1980.
Hellman, S., Botnick, L. E., Hannon, E. C., Vigneulle, R. M. Proliferative capacity of murine hematopoietic stem cells. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 75, 490–494 (1978).
Krohn, P. L.: Review lectures on senescence. II: Heterochronic transplantation in the study of aging. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. [Biol.] 157, 128–147 (1962).
LeGuilly, Y., Simon, M., Lenoir, P., Bourel, M.: Longterm culture of human adult liver cells: Morphological changes related to in vitro senescence and effect of donor’s age on growth potential. Gerontologia 19, 303–313 (1973).
Lesher, S., Fry, R.J.M., Kohn, H. I.: Age and the generation time of the mouse duodenal epithelial cell. Exp. Cell Res. 24, 334–343 (1961a).
Lesher, S., Fry, R.J.M., Kohn, H.I.: Age and the generation cycle of intestinal epithelial cells in the mouse. Gerontologia (Basel) 5, 176–181 (1961b).
Lesher, S., Sacher, G. A.: Effects of age on cell proliferation in mouse duodenal crypts. Exp. Gerontol. 3, 211–217 (1968).
Martin, G.M., Sprague, C. A., Epstein, C.J.: Replicative lifespan of cultivated human cells. Effects of donor’s age, tissue, and genotype. Lab. Invest. 23, 86–92 (1970).
McHale, J.S., Moulton, M. L., McHale, J. T.: Limited culture lifespan of human diploid cells as a function of metabolic time instead of division potential. Exp. Gerontol. 6, 89–93 (1971).
Nienhaus, A. J., Dejong, B., Tenkate, L P.: Fibroblast culture in Werner’s syndrome. Humangenetik 13, 244–246 (1971).
Ogura, H., Fujawara, T., Namba, N.: Establishment of two chick embryo fibroblastic cell lines. Gann 75, 410–414 (1984).
Reichel, W., Garcia-Bunuel, R., Dilallo, J.: Progeria and Werner’s syndrome as models for the study of normal human aging. J. Am. Geriatr. Soc. 19, 369–375 (1971).
Rohme, D.: Evidence for a relationship between longevity of mammalian species and lifespans of normal fibroblasts in vitro and erythrocytes in vivo. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 78, 5009–5013 (1981).
Schneider, E. L., Mitsui, Y.: The relationship between in vitro cellular aging and in vivo human age. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 73, 3584–3588 (1976).
Schneider, E. L., Mitsui, Y, Aw, K. S., Shorr, S.: Tissue-specific differences in cultured human diploid fibroblasts. Exp. Cell Res. 108, 1–6 (1977).
Siminovitch, L., Till, J. E., McCulloch, E.A.: Decline in colony-forming ability of marrow cells subjected to serial transplantation into irradiated mice. J. Cell Comp. Physiol. 64, 23–31 (1964).
Stanley, J. F., Pye, D., MacGregor, A.: Comparison of doubling numbers attained by cultured animal cells with the life span of species. Nature 255, 158–159 (1975).
Stewart, H. L., Snell, K. C., Dunham, L.J., Schylen, S. M.: Transplantable and transmissible tumors of animals. Washington, D.C., Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (1959).
Strehler, B. L., Mildvan, A. S.: General theory of mortality and aging. Science 132, 14–21 (1960).
Tassin, J., Malaise, E., Courtois, Y.: Human lens cells have an in vitro proliferative capacity inversely proportional to the donor age. Exp. Cell Res. 129, 345–350, 1979.
Thrasher, J. D., Greulich, R.C.: The duodenal progenitor population. I: Age related increase in the duration of the cryptal progenitor cycle. J. Exp. Zool. 159, 39–46 (1965).
Till, J. E., McCulloch, E. A., Siminovitch, L.: Isolation of variant cell lines during serial transplantation of hematopoietic cells derived from fetal liver. J. Nat. Cancer Inst. 33, 707–720 (1964).
Vracko, R., McFarland, B. M.: Lifespan of diabetic and non-diabetic fibroblasts in vitro. Exp. Cell Res. 129, 345–350 (1980).
Walford, R. L., Jawaid, S. Q., Naeim, F.: Evidence for in vitro senescence of T-lymphocytes cultured from normal human peripheral blood. Age 4, 67–70 (1981).
Walford, R. L.: Studies on immunogerontology. J. Am. Geriat. Soc. 30, 617–625 (1982).
Williamson, A. R., Askonas, B.A.: Senescence of an antibody-forming cell clone. Nature 238, 337–339 (1972).
Williamson, A. R.: Extent and control of antibody diversity. Biochem. J. 130, 325–333 (1972).
Witkowski, J. A.: The myth of cell immortality. Trends in Biochem. Sci. 10, 258–260 (1985).
Young, L.J.T., Medina, D., deOme, K.B., Daniel, C. W.: The influence of host and tissue age on the lifespan and growth rate of serially transplanted mouse mammary gland. Exp. Gerontol. 6, 49–56 (1971).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1987 Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Hayflick, L. (1987). Perspectives in Biogerontology. In: Rietbrock, N., Woodcock, B.G. (eds) Clinical Pharmacology in the Aged / Klinische Pharmakologie im Alter. Methods in Clinical Pharmacology, vol 6. Vieweg+Teubner Verlag, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-322-89728-2_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-322-89728-2_2
Publisher Name: Vieweg+Teubner Verlag, Wiesbaden
Print ISBN: 978-3-528-07935-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-322-89728-2
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive