Abstract
Although many hypotheses have been proposed to explain the aging process, the exact mechanisms are not well defined. Recent accumulating evidence indicates that dysregulation of the apoptotic process may be involved in some aging processes; however, it is still debatable how exactly apoptosis is expressed during aging in vivo. In this review, we discuss recent findings related to apoptosis of individual organs during aging and their significance. We demonstrate that aging enhances apoptosis and susceptibility to apoptosis in several types of intact cells. In contrast, in certain genetically damaged, initiated, and preneoplastic cells, aging suppresses these age-associated apoptotic changes. In various cells, apoptosis enhances the elimination of damaged and dysfunctional cells presumably caused by oxidative stress, glycation, and DNA damage. In these cases, the incidence of apoptosis correlates with the level of accumulated injury. It is concluded that apoptosis plays an important role in the aging process and tumorigenesis in vivo probably as an inherent protective mechanism against age-associated tumorigenesis.
Similar content being viewed by others
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Electronic Publication
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Higami, Y., Shimokawa, I. Apoptosis in the aging process. Cell Tissue Res 301, 125–132 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/s004419900156
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s004419900156