title: A synopsis on aging-Theories, mechanisms and future prospects.
abstract: Answering the question as to why we age is tantamount to answering the question of what is life itself. There are countless theories as to why and how we age, but, until recently, the very definition of aging - senescence - was still uncertain. Here, we summarize the main views of the different models of senescence, with a special emphasis on the biochemical processes that accompany aging. Though inherently complex, aging is characterized by numerous changes that take place at different levels of the biological hierarchy. We therefore explore some of the most relevant changes that take place during aging and, finally, we overview the current status of emergent aging therapies and what the future holds for this field of research. From this multi-dimensional approach, it becomes clear that an integrative approach that couples aging research with systems biology, capable of providing novel insights into how and why we age, is necessary.
authors.affiliation: CESAM and Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal. Electronic address: jpintocosta@ua.pt.
authors.forename: João Pinto
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: da Costa
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sciences, Institute for Biomedicine-iBiMED, University of Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal; Department of Physiology and Cardiothoracic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vitorino
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, NY, NY 10003, USA.
authors.forename: Gustavo M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, NY, NY 10003, USA.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vogel
authors.affiliation: CESAM and Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.
authors.forename: Armando C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Duarte
authors.affiliation: CESAM and Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rocha-Santos
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D005544:Forecasting; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000639:trends
chemical_list: D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species
keywords: Aging; Anti-aging therapies; Biochemistry; Biology; Senescence