Abstract
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is still the leading cause of illness and death in the Western world. Cardiovascular aging is a progressive modification occurring in cardiac and vascular morphology and physiology where increased endothelial dysfunction and arterial stiffness are observed, generally accompanied by increased systolic blood pressure and augmented pulse pressure. The effects of biological sex on cardiovascular pathophysiology have long been known. The incidence of hypertension is higher in men, and it increases in postmenopausal women. Premenopausal women are protected from CVD compared with age-matched men and this protective effect is lost with menopause, suggesting that sex-hormones influence blood pressure regulation. In parallel, the heart progressively remodels over the course of life and the pattern of cardiac remodeling also differs between the sexes. Lower autonomic tone, reduced baroreceptor response, and greater vascular function are observed in premenopausal women than men of similar age. However, postmenopausal women have stiffer arteries than their male counterparts. The biological mechanisms responsible for sex-related differences observed in cardiovascular aging are being unraveled over the last several decades. This review focuses on molecular mechanisms underlying the sex-differences of CVD in aging.
Highlights
Sex Differences in Molecular Mechanisms of Cardiovascular AgingG. Miguez 2†, Fernanda Priviero 3, Jennifer C
Advances in health-assistance, the progress of modern medicine and access to environmental sanitation are some factors favoring the aging population around the world, as observed in the past few decades
Women have longer telomeres than men, indicating an association of longer telomeres with survival improvement Age-adjusted mutation DNA load incidence is higher in men than in women as as somatic mutation accumulation began a decade earlier in male compared to female A reduction in longevity by 2-years is observed in individuals with Klinefelter syndrome (XXY karyotype), whereas those with an XYY karyotype have a 10-years reduction, suggesting a strong toxic Y effect in humans Centenarian females display balanced XCI expression, which is associated with faster aging and a shorter lifespan Men had significantly greater telomerase reverse transcriptase and telomeric repeat binding factor 2 (TRF2) responses to the acute exercise as compared to women, regardless of age
Summary
G. Miguez 2†, Fernanda Priviero 3, Jennifer C. Cardiovascular aging is a progressive modification occurring in cardiac and vascular morphology and physiology where increased endothelial dysfunction and arterial stiffness are observed, generally accompanied by increased systolic blood pressure and augmented pulse pressure. The effects of biological sex on cardiovascular pathophysiology have long been known. Premenopausal women are protected from CVD compared with age-matched men and this protective effect is lost with menopause, suggesting that sex-hormones influence blood pressure regulation. Lower autonomic tone, reduced baroreceptor response, and greater vascular function are observed in premenopausal women than men of similar age. The biological mechanisms responsible for sex-related differences observed in cardiovascular aging are being unraveled over the last several decades. This review focuses on molecular mechanisms underlying the sex-differences of CVD in aging
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