Proteomic Markers of Aging and Longevity: A Systematic Review

Abstract

This article provides a systematic review of research conducted on the proteomic composition of blood as part of a complex biological age estimation. We performed a comprehensive analysis of 17 publicly available datasets and compiled an integral list of proteins. These proteins were sorted based on their detection probability using mass spectrometry in human plasma. We propose this list as a basis for creating a panel of peptides and quantifying the content of selected proteins in the format of a proteomic aging clock. The selected proteins are especially notable for their roles in inflammatory processes and lipid metabolism. Our findings suggest, for the first time, that proteins associated with systemic disorders, including those approved by the FDA for clinical use, could serve as potential markers of aging.

Keywords: aging; biological age; biomarkers; blood plasma proteome; high-copy proteins; knowledge databases; longevity; targeted mass spectrometry.

Figure 1

PRISMA [22] flow diagram of the literature screening and selection processes.

Figure 2

Selection of proteins associated with aging and development of age-related diseases that can be detected by mass spectrometry in human blood plasma.

Figure 3

Venn diagrams showing (a) the intersection of the complete list of proteins associated with aging with the lists of FDA-approved proteins [34], HPPP-detected proteins [30], and the list of most frequently detected proteins (Déjà vu, [33]) (b) the intersection of the list of aging-associated proteins detected by mass spectrometric methods with the lists of proteins approved by the FDA [34], detected under HPPP [30], and the list of most frequently detected proteins (Déjà vu, [33]).