Artificial intelligence analyzed the microscopic structure of dozens of tissues and revealed an unexpected role for hormonal signals in the body's overall aging process.
Aging is commonly believed to be a smooth, continuous process that gradually brings the entire body closer to old age. However, a large new study published in the journal Nature Aging challenges this stereotype.
Scientists have discovered that our bodies age in a piecemeal fashion, much like a patchwork quilt, with different organs and tissues following their own, often unpredictable, schedules of decline, governed by complex hormonal signals. It turns out there is no single, uniform biological clock in the human body.
To study the physical changes in tissues at the cellular level in detail, a team of bioinformaticians at the Sanford Institute for Medical Discovery developed an artificial intelligence system called PathStAR. Instead of trying to guess a donor's age based on their passport, the neural network analyzed the microscopic structure of the tissue sections. The research encompassed more than 25,000 samples from 40 different tissue types, taken from 970 individuals aged 21 to 70, from the publicly available archive of the Genotype-Tissue Expression Project.
The results of the analysis were not without many surprises.
Arteries are the first organs to age, with their tissue deterioration peaking between the ages of 30 and 40. It is during this period that a sharp acceleration in the formation of atherosclerotic plaques is observed, which then stabilizes at a constant level. Those whose vessels lost their youthful structure at a faster rate were significantly more susceptible to early-onset severe atherosclerosis.
The female reproductive system, however, exhibited a completely different pattern. Its tissues remained stable throughout youth, only beginning to change rapidly around the age of 50–55, coinciding with menopause. The ovaries, in particular, showed a two-stage aging process: the first significant decline occurred between the ages of 35 and 40, while the second occurred around the age of 60.
The most surprising finding is that a similar two-stage degeneration cycle, with peaks in the thirties and fifties, characterizes most of the tissues studied. Of fourteen major organs, nine aged according to this specific pattern. These included the prostate and testes, as well as the digestive tract, esophagus, stomach, and intestines. A clear correlation was observed: the degeneration of colon and esophageal cells proceeded in parallel with changes in the prostate and reproductive tissues.
Scientists have concluded that ovarian tissue acts as a kind of "clockmaker" for the entire body. Sex hormones play a pivotal role here: estrogen receptors are present throughout the lining of the digestive tract, supporting its mucous barrier. When hormonal levels drop sharply, the intestines and esophagus age in parallel with the reproductive organs.
At the same time, similar indicators of deterioration were recorded in all affected tissues, namely increased latent inflammation, decreased energy production in mitochondria, and dysfunction in cellular quality control systems.
The study authors emphasize that this research requires caution in conclusions, as not every structural reconfiguration implies functional deterioration, and some changes may be a form of adaptation.
However, the data obtaned fundamentally changes the approach to gerontology. Slowing aging should not be a "comprehensive treatment" for the entire body. Targeted protection of specific organs at their most vulnerable moments is far more effective, and treatments aimed at preserving reproductive function can prolong the youthfulness of the entire body.
what is your opinion on this news ?do let us know in the comments on tha comment box
if you liked this news article please share on friends & family & don't forget to follow on website & social media
Stop
ReplyDelete