Aging is a multifactorial process characterized by deteriorations of functional capacity of various organs and the whole body performance. Exogenous mechanism for aging includes onset and progress of various degenerative diseases, whereas intrinsic mechanism is governed by cellular events wherein catabolic processes exceed the capacity for repair and rejuvenation.1 Oxygen and nitrogen centered reactive species (ROS) have been identified to play a key role in both the intrinsic and extrinsic development of aging processes, termed “free radical theory of aging”.2 During the past half of century major progresses have been made in both the research of aging mechanism and clinical practices in age-related disease treatment and elderly care, resulting a steady improvement of longevity and an impressive expansion of the elderly population among industrialized country and some developing countries. This trend will likely grow in the current century.
展开▼
