Key result
Aging is associated with sex-specific regulation of cardiac extracellular matrix proteins, with levels lower in younger women than men but higher in older women than men (interaction p<0.05).
Why the study?
Does aging affect cardiac extracellular matrix proteins differently in men and women?
Observational (n=31)
Does aging affect cardiac extracellular matrix proteins differently in men and women?
p-value: p=<0.05
Aging induces sex-specific remodeling of the myocardial extracellular matrix, which may contribute to the aging heart's limited ability to adapt to stress and tissue damage.
Hypothesis-generating for sex-specific cardiac aging; does not support practice changes without prospective validation.
PURPOSE: Aging has severe implications for tissue damage and is a major risk factor for disease. However, the effects of aging on cardiac extracellular matrix (ECM) components in individuals free of cardiovascular disease are incompletely understood. We aimed at the characterization of the effects of aging on major ECM proteins in the heart of men and women. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Left ventricular (LV) samples of nondiseased human hearts technically unusable for transplantation obtained from general organ donors (n = 31; age 17-68 years; 48% women) were used for protein isolation. We separated the group into 17-40 years (n = 7 men and 7 women) and 50-68 years (n = 9 men and 8 women). RESULTS: Analysis of ECM proteins demonstrated an age-dependent sex-specific regulation of collagen type I and III (interaction p < 0.05), type VI (interaction p = 0.01), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 3 (interaction p < 0.05), SMAD2 (interaction p < 0.05), and SMAD3 (interaction p = 0.001). Overall, the levels of these proteins in younger individuals were lower in women than men, while in older individuals they were higher in women than men. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This age-mediated myocardial ECM remodeling might play a key role in the limited ability of the aging heart to adapt adequately to altered work load and to respond to tissue damage. Therapeutic agents that target ECM homeostasis represent promising prevention strategies.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Dworatzek et al. (2015) conducted an observational in Free of cardiovascular disease (n=31). Aging (50-68 years) vs. Younger age (17-40 years) was evaluated on Age-dependent sex-specific regulation of cardiac extracellular matrix proteins (p=<0.05). Aging is associated with sex-specific regulation of cardiac extracellular matrix proteins, with levels lower in younger women than men but higher in older women than men (interaction p<0.05).
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: