Aging and the impact of global DNA methylation, telomere shortening, and total oxidative status on sarcopenia and frailty syndrome

Immun Ageing. 2023 Nov 14;20(1):61. doi: 10.1186/s12979-023-00384-2.

Abstract

Aging is a biological event that influences many organs and systems. Both sarcopenia and frailty syndrome refer to geriatric conditions with overlapping phenotypes. Many mechanisms are involved in the aging process such as DNA methylation telomeres which are susceptible to oxidative stress, and inflammations which result in telomere shortening, leading to chromosomal instability. The study aimed to determine the associations between these processes, frailty and sarcopenia syndrome. Global DNA methylation was analyzed using the ELISA method. Telomere length was analyzed using qPCR. Total oxidative status (TOS) was analyzed using a colorimetric method. The present study revealed that the main factor affecting methylation, telomeres length and level of total oxidant stress was age.

Keywords: Aging; DNA methylation; Frailty syndrome; Sarcopenia; Telomere length; Total oxidative stress.