Endothelial function in healthy centenarians living in the Madonie's district (Italy)

Carola Buscemi; Cristiana Randazzo; Anna Maria Barile; Roberta Caruso; Piero Colombrita; Martina Lombardo; Piergiorgio Lo Verde; Natalia Sottile; Mario Barbagallo; Silvio Buscemi

doi:10.1016/j.exger.2024.112457

Endothelial function in healthy centenarians living in the Madonie's district (Italy)

Exp Gerontol. 2024 May 9:192:112457. doi: 10.1016/j.exger.2024.112457. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Unit of Internal Medicine, "V. Cervello Hospital", Palermo, Italy; Dipartimento di Promozione della Salute, Materno-Infantile, Medicina Interna e Specialistica di Eccellenza (PROMISE), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
² Dipartimento di Promozione della Salute, Materno-Infantile, Medicina Interna e Specialistica di Eccellenza (PROMISE), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy; Unit of Clinical Nutrition, Obesity and Metabolic Diseases, University Hospital Policlinico "P. Giaccone", Palermo, Italy.
³ Dipartimento di Promozione della Salute, Materno-Infantile, Medicina Interna e Specialistica di Eccellenza (PROMISE), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy; Unit of Clinical Nutrition, Obesity and Metabolic Diseases, University Hospital Policlinico "P. Giaccone", Palermo, Italy. Electronic address: annamaria.barile@unipa.it.
⁴ Dipartimento di Promozione della Salute, Materno-Infantile, Medicina Interna e Specialistica di Eccellenza (PROMISE), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
⁵ Dipartimento di Promozione della Salute, Materno-Infantile, Medicina Interna e Specialistica di Eccellenza (PROMISE), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy; Geriatric Unit, University Hospital Policlinico "P. Giaccone", Palermo, Italy.
⁶ Dipartimento di Promozione della Salute, Materno-Infantile, Medicina Interna e Specialistica di Eccellenza (PROMISE), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy; Unit of Clinical Nutrition, Obesity and Metabolic Diseases, University Hospital Policlinico "P. Giaccone", Palermo, Italy. Electronic address: silvio.buscemi@unipa.it.

PMID: 38728795
DOI: 10.1016/j.exger.2024.112457

Abstract

Background: Endothelial function declines with age and plays a critical role in cardiovascular health. Therefore, investigating endothelial function in successful aging models, such as centenarians, is of interest. Flow-mediated dilation (FMD) of the brachial artery is the gold standard for measuring endothelial function in vivo in humans. Therefore, we investigated, for the first time, the FMD of the brachial artery in a group of healthy centenarians.

Methods: Selected as part of the ABCD project (nutrition, cardiovascular wellness, and diabetes) centenarians (aged ≥100 years) living in the municipalities of Madonie (Palermo, Italy) were compared with a younger (aged <65 years) sex-matched control group from the ABCD general cohort. FMD of the brachial artery was measured in all participants using a real-time computed video analysis system for B-mode ultrasound images. Body composition (bioimpedance), carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), and ankle-brachial index (ABI) were also measured.

Results: Eleven participants (males 36.4 %; age: 101 ± 1 years) out of 28 healthy centenarians successfully cooperated with the FMD test procedures, which require remaining with the upper limb immobile for approximately 10 min. This subgroup was compared with a control group of 76 healthy and younger individuals (males 36.8 %; aged: 41 ± 14 years; P < 0.001). Centenarians exhibited better endothelial function than the control group (FMD: 12.1 ± 4.3 vs 8.6 ± 5.3 %; P < 0.05). The carotid IMT was higher in the centenarian group than in the control group (0.89 ± 0.09 vs 0.56 ± 0.18 mm; P < 0.001), whereas the ABI was comparable between the two groups.

Conclusions: This small group of centenarians demonstrated an unusually favorable endothelial function, which may contribute to their unique aging profile. Further research is needed to determine whether FMD is a valid prognostic marker for successful aging.

Keywords: Aging; Atherosclerosis; Centenarians; Endothelial function; Flow-mediated dilation.