Aging and Radiation: Bad Companions

Overview

Journal Aging Cell

Specialties Cell Biology
Geriatrics

Date 2015 Feb 4

PMID 25645467

Citations 37

Authors

Laia Hernandez

Mariona Terradas

Jordi Camps

Marta Martin

Laura Tusell

Anna Genesca

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Aging involves a deterioration of cell functions and changes that may predispose the cell to undergo an oncogenic transformation. The carcinogenic risks following radiation exposure rise with age among adults. Increasing inflammatory response, loss of oxidant/antioxidant equilibrium, ongoing telomere attrition, decline in the DNA damage response efficiency, and deleterious nuclear organization are age-related cellular changes that trigger a serious threat to genomic integrity. In this review, we discuss the mechanistic interplay between all these factors, providing an integrated view of how they contribute to the observed age-related increase in radiation sensitivity. As life expectancy increases and so it does the medical intervention, it is important to highlight the benefits of radiation protection in the elderly. Thus, a deep understanding of the mechanistic processes confining the threat of aging-related radiosensitivity is currently of foremost relevance.

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