Cellular Aging

Cellular death due to aging is caused by accumulation of injurious events and genetically controlled developmental programme.

Mechanism of Aging

•    Genetic, enviromental, behavioral factors
•    Change in regulatory mechanism
•    Degenerative alterations

Genetic failure of repair mechanisms takes place, clock genes overexpression of antioxidative enzymes (telomerase) is found. Telomerase activity stops in somatic cells but continues in stem cells & germ cells. Enviromental generation of free radicals take place. Thus accumulation of multiple defects leads to aging.

Aged cells show lipofuscin pigment, abnormally folded proteins and advanced glycogenated end products (AGES).