Oxidative stress and aging: synergies for age related diseases

Aging is characterized by a progressive decline in physiological function and underlies several disabilities, including the increased sensitivity of cells and tissues to undergo pathological oxidative stress. In recent years, efforts have been made to better understand the relationship between age and oxidative stress and further develop therapeutic strategies to minimize the impact of both events on age-related diseases. In this work, we review the impact of the oxidant and antioxidant systems during aging and disease development and discuss the crosstalk of oxidative stress and other aging processes, with a focus on studies conducted in elderly populations. The link between aging and oxidative stress is still under intensive investigation and the development of novel therapeutic strategies aims at minimizing the impact of both events on age-related diseases. In this Review, we provide an overview on the main endogenous sources of oxidative stress, the molecular targets and the most used biomarkers, and highlight "the hallmarks of age." image