Relationship between Hypoxia and Hypercapnia Tolerance and Life Expectancy

Abstract

The review discusses the potential relationship between hypoxia resistance and longevity, the influence of carbon dioxide on the mechanisms of aging of the mammalian organism, and intermittent hypercapnic-hypoxic effects on the signaling pathways of aging mechanisms. In the article, we focused on the potential mechanisms of the gero-protective efficacy of carbon dioxide when combined with hypoxia. The review summarizes the possible influence of intermittent hypoxia and hypercapnia on aging processes in the nervous system. We considered the perspective variants of the application of hypercapnic-hypoxic influences for achieving active longevity and the prospects for the possibilities of developing hypercapnic-hypoxic training methods.

Keywords: active longevity; aging; gero-protection; hypercapnia; hypoxia; inflamm-aging; longevity; naked mole rat; nervous system aging.

Figure 1

Signaling pathways of the gero-protective potential of intermittent hypercapnic–hypoxic exposures. Blue lines indicate the effects of hypoxia; green lines indicate the effects of hypercapnia; orange lines indicate combined effects. HIF-1α—hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha; SOD—Superoxide Dismutase; GPx—Glutathione Peroxidase; pMSR—Peptide Methionine(R)-S-Oxide Reductase; HSP—heat shock protein; NF-κB—Nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells; Bax—Bcl-2-associated X protein; Bcl-2—B-cell lymphoma 2; AIF—Apoptosis-inducing factor; VEGF—Vascular endothelial growth factor; BDNF—brain-derived neurotrophic factor; ROS—reactive oxygen stress.