This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of mortality in the elderly. Normal aging is associated with changes in structure and function of heart that exacerbate changes associated with diseases such as diabetes hypertension and heart failure that are common in the elderly. We have shown aging associated with a relative decline in lipid catabolism and higher reliance on glucose metabolism to support the pump function. Perxisome proliferator activated receptor (PPAR) alpha plays an important role in cardiac fatty acid oxidation. We hypothesize that aging associated changes in PPAR alpha contribute significantly to changes in lipid utilization. In this innovative project we will test whether treatment of a healthy older group with PPAR a agonist gemfibrozil would result in partial reversal of aging associated decline in cardiac lipid oxidation measured by positron emmision tomography
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