Study Reveals Promising Pathways to Mitigate Aging-Related Organ Decline

Findings from a new study published in The American Journal of Pathology could potentially lead to novel strategies to counter age-related organ decline. Termed "inflammaging," chronic inflammation associated with aging often leads to tissue dysfunction. The research, led by Gabrielle Fredman and Katherine C. MacNamara of Albany Medical College, focuses on understanding how specialized proresolving lipid mediators (SPMs), specifically Resolvin D2 (RvD2), can play a crucial role in mitigating excessive inflammation and age-related tissue dysfunction.

The study utilized a mouse model to mimic normal aging and identified key liver pathologies associated with aging, including fatty liver disease and collagen deposition. The researchers found that the activation of a specific receptor, GPR18, by RvD2 was linked to maintaining tissue homeostasis during aging. Remarkably, the study revealed that even short-term RvD2 treatment to aged bone marrow had a profound and lasting impact on improving liver pathology, indicating potential long-term programming effects.

“These studies reveal a potential therapy that may improve pathologies associated with aging by improving the process of blood cell production,” MacNamara explained. “The idea that bone marrow production can be modulated to generate cells that provide reparative functions may be broadly relevant in aging. Our studies not only highlight the remarkable durability of even transient treatment with RvD2, but they demonstrate the important role of bone marrow and its function in blood cell generation as a key aspect to treating disease. We believe there is tremendous promise of specialized proresolving lipid mediators, like RvD2, as therapies that may improve or augment current treatments.”