Inflammation and the Stiffness of Blood Vessels

One of the ways in which major blood vessels decline in function with aging is that . The state of contributes to this, as noted in this open access paper (in ). This is probably connected to the fact that , given that : “Increased arterial stiffness is an independent predictor of cardiovascular disease independent from blood pressure. Recent studies have shed new light on the importance of inflammation on the pathogenesis of arterial stiffness. Arterial stiffness is associated with the increased activity of , which results in increased activity, reduced bioavailability and . Angiotensin II signaling activates which degrade precursors to produce active TGF?, which then results in increased arterial . … There is also ample clinical evidence that demonstrates the association of inflammation with increased arterial stiffness. Recent studies have shown that reductions in inflammation can reduce arterial stiffness. In patients with , increased in patients was significantly reduced by anti therapy. … Thus, there is rationale for targeting specific inflammatory pathways involved in arterial stiffness in the development of future drugs. Understanding the role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of arterial stiffness is important to understanding the complex puzzle that is the pathophysiology of arterial stiffening and may be important for future development of novel treatments.”

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(1) they lose their elasticity
URL: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/11/061103104048.htm
(2) chronic inflammation that grows with aging
URL: http://www.fightaging.org/archives/2008/02/inflammation-and-the-damage-of-aging.php
(3) PDF format
URL: http://synapse.koreamed.org/Synapse/Data/PDFData/0069YMJ/ymj-53-258.pdf
(4) exercise helps improve the elasticity of arteries
URL: http://www.fightaging.org/archives/2009/12/exercise-and-arterial-stiffness.php
(5) exercise is shown to impact levels of inflammation
URL: http://www.fightaging.org/archives/2011/06/a-demonstration-of-exercise-versus-inflammation.php
(6) angiotensin II
URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angiotensin
(7) NADPH oxidase
URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NADPH_oxidase
(8) NO
URL: http://www.fightaging.org/archives/2007/03/nitric-oxide-everywhere.php
(9) increased production of reactive oxygen species
URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxidative_stress
(10) matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs)
URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matrix_metalloproteinase
(11) TGF?
URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transforming_growth_factor
(12) fibrosis
URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibrosis
(13) rheumatoid arthritis
URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rheumatoid_arthritis
(14) aortic pulse wave velocity
URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulse_wave_velocity
(15) tumor necrosis factor-?
URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tumor_necrosis_factors
(16) http://dx.doi.org/10.3349/ymj.2012.53.2.258
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3349/ymj.2012.53.2.258
(17) http://www.longevitymeme.org/newsletter/latest_rss_feed.cfm
URL: http://www.longevitymeme.org/newsletter/latest_rss_feed.cfm

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