Aging in the vascular system: lessons from mechanobiology, computational approaches, and oxidative stress

Abstract

Vascular aging is considered now to be the first factor of multiorgan aging in what is called 'the vascular theory of aging'. Clinical understanding of vascular aging has long been limited to arterial hypertension and arterial stiffness. The effects of age on arterial mechanical properties have always been difficult to interpret for reasons linked to the non-linear behaviour of the stiffness/pressure function and the complex interactions between vascular cells and the matrix. Even new methodologies for decoding aging at the single-cell level are equally difficult to interpret. The objectives of this review are: (i) to introduce new computational approaches in biomechanics and mechanobiology; (ii) to revisit the role of oxidative stress and cellular senescence; (iii) to summarize some of the main molecular, cellular, and mechanistic contributions to vascular aging; (iv) to present the latest human studies of accelerated arterial aging with particular reference to cognitive impairment and functional decline; and (v) to propose some future directions for research related to vascular aging.

Keywords: Aging; Bioengineering; Heme; Mechanotransduction; Vascular smooth muscle cells.