Epigenomic profile and biological age

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15448/2357-9641.2020.1.37125

Keywords:

biological aging, chronological aging, epigenome, methylation, molecular marker

Abstract

Man ages at a constant chronological rate while their biological aging rate is extremely variable. Interventions to improve, or to slow the rate of biological aging are the subject of several research. The broad spectrum of molecules and its intricate role from the biological point of view and its relation with environmental factors are being investigated. Recently, researchers have been putting its efforts to understand the epigenetic mechanisms and how it can interfere with alterations in gene expression that leads to predisposition and, or pathological outcome. Some of these investigations have shed light about how one can determine the biological age from a simple blood sample, just by detecting the epigenetic alterations on only three CpGs sites with a reasonable certainty. Also, the enzymes inhibitors that can interfere with methylation and demethylation were effective to reverse the epigenetic mechanisms. Other studies have shown how the environmental changes since from early life can affect these alterations on the epigenome. Taking all together, some biomolecular markers are already available to determine the genetic background of an individual and this information can be used to guide the lifestyle in order to prevent some future diseases development and/or improve the quality of later life.

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Author Biography

Denise Cantarelli Machado, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, RS

Full professor at Medical School, Coordinator of Pré-clinical research at BraIns (Brain Institute of Rio Grande do Sul), Coordinator of Graduation course on Biomedical Gerontology, Coordinator of Research Integrity Office. Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, Brazil.

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Published

2020-08-03

How to Cite

Machado, D. C. (2020). Epigenomic profile and biological age. PAJAR - Pan American Journal of Aging Research, 8(1), e37125. https://doi.org/10.15448/2357-9641.2020.1.37125

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Editorial