Researchers at Marshall University’s Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine have found new evidence that small particles produced in the gut may contribute to inflammation and chronic diseases associated with aging. The findings provide new insights into the relationships between biological stress related to gut health, metabolism, immune function, and even sleep.
This study aged cellsfocuses on intestinal exosomes, microparticles that cells use to communicate by carrying proteins and genetic material throughout the body. Scientists have discovered that exosomes from older animals contain molecular signals associated with insulin resistance, inflammation, and damage to the intestinal barrier. When these exosomes were transferred to young animals, similar metabolic and inflammatory changes occurred in the young animals.
Researchers also observed the opposite effect. Transplanting exosomes collected from young animals into older animals alleviated some metabolic problems associated with aging. This result suggests that the intestinal environment itself may play an important role in the development of aging-related diseases.
Intestinal barrier damage and chronic inflammation
This study shows that intestinal exosomes can have a direct impact on disease development. A weakened intestinal barrier allows inflammatory substances to leak into the bloodstream, causing long-term inflammation that can increase the risk of heart disease and metabolic disorders.
“This study helps clarify how physiological stressors associated with biological aging promote biological processes associated with aging and disease,” said Abdelnaby Khalifa, Ph.D., Joan C. Edwards Professor of Biomedical Sciences in the School of Medicine and lead author of the study. “Understanding these mechanisms is essential to identifying new targets for intervention and improving long-term outcomes for patients.”
New clues about aging and disease
The findings also support the idea that aging affects multiple systems in the body simultaneously, including metabolism, immune responses, and cellular communication pathways. Researchers have identified specific molecules within exosomes that may ultimately help scientists detect, better understand, and treat age-related diseases.
The researchers noted that this finding may also apply to chronic diseases that involve long-term physiological stress, especially those that share biological pathways with aging.
The research team included Khalyfa, Trupti Joshi, Ph.D., and David Gozal, MD, MBA, Ph.D. (Hon) of Marshall University and Lyu Zhen of the University of Missouri.
Funding for the study included unrestricted start-up support awarded to Khalifa by the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine through the Marshall University Research Corporation (MURC) in Huntington, West Virginia, USA. Gozal also receives partial support from NIH grants HL166617 and HL169266. Additional support was provided by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health through the West Virginia IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (WV-INBRE) under award number P20GM103434.
