Year: 2012
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Aging is a process that affects everybody and importantly, affects all cells and therefore all\nthe tissues in our body. In the worst cases, tissue aging leads to organ failure and death; in\nother cases, the effects of aging are more subtle and less dramatic. In our tissue of choice\n– bone and the skeletal system - aging manifests in the form of osteoporosis, low bone\nmineral density and a higher risk of fractures, all contributors to a higher morbidity [1].\nThere are several theories applicable to the process of aging, of which the free radical\ntheory of aging is one of the oldest and well-studied. This theory, first proposed by Denham\nHarman in the 1950’s, states that organisms age because cells accumulate free radical\ndamage over time [2]. Free radicals are atoms or molecules that have a single unpaired\nelectron in their outer shell. Many biologically relevant free radicals are highly reactive and\ncan be produced by the cell’s metabolic mechanisms. Free radicals can cause intracellular\ndamage to DNA and proteins.
Author: Claudia Nicolaije
Language: English
Topic: Bone Metabolism and Diseases
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2108300542