Advancing age is associated with the development of arterial dysfunction and disease. Two major contributors to arterial disease with aging are endothelial dysfunction and stiffening of the large elastic arteries. However, the mechanisms involved and the ability of lifestyle behaviors to prevent these changes are incompletely understood. One novel and largely unexplored hypothesis is that """"""""physiological resistance"""""""" to the adverse effects of common environmental factors to which we are chronically exposed decreases with aging, thus exacerbating the resulting dysfunction and increased risk of disease. One such factor may be a """"""""western"""""""", i.e., high-fat, diet (WD). WD generally is associated with development of vascular inflammation linked to oxidative stress, a reduction in nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability and an increased risk of vascular dysfunction/disease. In contrast to WD, habitual aerobic exercise is associated with enhanced arterial function and reduced risk of vascular diseases. It is unknown if the potentially adverse effects of short-term or lifelong exposure to WD become greater with aging, if these effects can be prevented by habitual aerobic exercise (or an agent with potential """"""""exercise-like"""""""" vascular effects), and the mechanisms that may be involved. Initial critical proof of concept evidence can be obtained from a mouse model of age-associated arterial dysfunction. Working Hypotheses 1. Older age is associated with progressively greater reductions in vascular endothelial function and increases in large elastic artery stiffness in response to both short-term and lifelong ingestion of WD. 2. The greater impairments in endothelial function and large elastic artery stiffness in response to WD with increasing age will be mediated by vascular inflammation, which will, in turn, be associated with oxidative stress, increased superoxide and reduced NO production, and altered protein expression. 3. Habitual aerobic exercise will prevent the greater reductions in vascular endothelial function and increases in large elastic artery stiffness in response to short-term and lifelong WD with older age. 4. This protective effect of habitual aerobic exercise will be mediated by preventing the exacerbation of arterial inflammation (and its associated effects on oxidative stress and NO) in response to WD. 5. Increased arterial expression and/or activity of adenosine monophosphate activated protein kinase (AMPK) will contribute to these protective effects of exercise. Importantly, chronic pharmacological activation of AMPK will prevent the adverse effects of WD in the absence of physical activity. Impact. The results will provide novel insight into the mechanisms by which aging increases vulnerability to the development of arterial dysfunction and disease, and if this might be prevented by lifestyle or """"""""lifestyle mimicking"""""""" pharmacological interventions. New, clinically relevant knowledge will be gained as to how both short-term and lifelong exposure to a high fat diet interacts with aging to produce arterial dysfunction.

Public Health Relevance

The goal of this research is to determine if the dysfunction of arteries that occurs in response to both short- term and lifelong ingestion of a western (high-fat) diet worsens with aging. We also will determine if regular exercise and a pharmacological compound with presumed exercise-like effects protect arteries from both short-term and lifelong exposure to a western diet. Finally, we will gain insight into why aging has an adverse influence on arteries exposed to a western diet, and how exercise and the exercise-like agent prevent this effect. We will study mice as a first step in investigating these issues.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01HL107120-04
Application #
8584316
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-BDA-M (02))
Program Officer
Maric-Bilkan, Christine
Project Start
2011-01-01
Project End
2014-11-30
Budget Start
2013-12-01
Budget End
2014-11-30
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
2014
Total Cost
$393,257
Indirect Cost
$133,549
Name
University of Colorado at Boulder
Department
Physiology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
007431505
City
Boulder
State
CO
Country
United States
Zip Code
80309
Lesniewski, Lisa A; Seals, Douglas R; Walker, Ashley E et al. (2017) Dietary rapamycin supplementation reverses age-related vascular dysfunction and oxidative stress, while modulating nutrient-sensing, cell cycle, and senescence pathways. Aging Cell 16:17-26
Seals, Douglas R; Justice, Jamie N; LaRocca, Thomas J (2016) Physiological geroscience: targeting function to increase healthspan and achieve optimal longevity. J Physiol 594:2001-24
Gioscia-Ryan, Rachel A; Battson, Micah L; Cuevas, Lauren M et al. (2016) Voluntary aerobic exercise increases arterial resilience and mitochondrial health with aging in mice. Aging (Albany NY) 8:2897-2914
Seals, Douglas R; Kaplon, Rachelle E; Gioscia-Ryan, Rachel A et al. (2014) You're only as old as your arteries: translational strategies for preserving vascular endothelial function with aging. Physiology (Bethesda) 29:250-64
Santos-Parker, Jessica R; LaRocca, Thomas J; Seals, Douglas R (2014) Aerobic exercise and other healthy lifestyle factors that influence vascular aging. Adv Physiol Educ 38:296-307
Seals, Douglas R; Melov, Simon (2014) Translational geroscience: emphasizing function to achieve optimal longevity. Aging (Albany NY) 6:718-30
Seals, Douglas R (2014) Edward F. Adolph Distinguished Lecture: The remarkable anti-aging effects of aerobic exercise on systemic arteries. J Appl Physiol (1985) 117:425-39
Lesniewski, Lisa A; Zigler, Melanie L; Durrant, Jessica R et al. (2013) Aging compounds western diet-associated large artery endothelial dysfunction in mice: prevention by voluntary aerobic exercise. Exp Gerontol 48:1218-25
Donato, Anthony J; Walker, Ashley E; Magerko, Katherine A et al. (2013) Life-long caloric restriction reduces oxidative stress and preserves nitric oxide bioavailability and function in arteries of old mice. Aging Cell 12:772-83
Fleenor, Bradley S; Seals, Douglas R; Zigler, Melanie L et al. (2012) Superoxide-lowering therapy with TEMPOL reverses arterial dysfunction with aging in mice. Aging Cell 11:269-76

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