Issue 1-83, 2018

Why We Age and How Can We Influence This Process

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1,2 Khalyavkin A.V., 2,3 Krut’ko V.N.

1 Emanuel Institute of Biochemical Physics of RAS, Moscow, Russia
2 Institute for Systems Analysis FRC CSC RAS, Moscow, Russia
3 Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia


ABSTRACT

Identification the considerable plasticity of aging rate and ability of stem cells not to age is a significant scientific achievementin recent years. The systems approach is useful for understanding the causes and mechanisms of aging, because theorganism represents a complex system consisting of a hierarchy of cooperating subsystems. Since the functioning of subsystemsis subordinated to general purposes and is coordinated and managed by the control systems of the organism a bodyfunctions as a single unit. The main idea proposed here is very simple. Even a potentially ageless body must start to age underinadequate condition (like a non-melting piece of ice taken out from the deepfreeze inevitably starts to melt at the temperaturesabove zero Celsius). This conclusion is consistent with patterns of mortality and with agelessness potential of somatic stemcells. Therefore, there is no need to build up and explore too complicated “systems models of intrinsic aging” to understandthe origin of this mainly extrinsic root cause of natural aging. In our case a simple phenomenological black-box approach withInput-Output analysis is ample. Here Input refers to the environmentally dependent initial force of mortality, whereas Output is arate of age-related increase of mortality force. If one takes into account the fact that robustness of really “sustainable” systemsand modes is possible only in a certain limited range of ambient conditions, then the control theory and systems approach aresufficient both to discover the root cause of aging and to understand the underlying mechanisms of its implementation. Afterall, it is when leaving the area of adequate functioning modes determined by the environment that even potentially ageless immortalizedcells and hydras start aging with the exponential growth of mortality, the mode typical for humans.


KEYWORDS: aging plasticity, environmental influences, origin of aging, retardation of senescence, self-maintenance, reversibility of senescence


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This is an open article under the CC BY 4.0 license. Published by the National Medical Research Center for Rehabilitation and Balneology.