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Mitochondria and aging in the vascular system

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Abstract

This review focuses on mitochondrial abnormalities that occur in the vasculature during aging and explores the link between mitochondrial oxidative stress, chronic low-grade vascular inflammation, increased rate of endothelial apoptosis, and development of vascular diseases in the elderly. Therapeutic strategies targeting the mitochondria for prevention of age-associated vascular dysfunction and disease in old age are considered here based on emerging knowledge of the vasoprotective effects of caloric restriction, caloric restriction mimetics, the GH/IGF-1 axis, and mitochondria-targeted antioxidants.

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Acknowledgement

This work was supported by grants from the American Diabetes Association, the American Federation for Aging Research and the NIH (HL077256, AG11370).

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The authors declare no conflict of interests related to this study.

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Correspondence to Zoltan Ungvari.

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Ungvari, Z., Sonntag, W.E. & Csiszar, A. Mitochondria and aging in the vascular system. J Mol Med 88, 1021–1027 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00109-010-0667-5

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