Young plasma attenuates age-dependent liver ischemia reperfusion injury

What is it about?

Young blood shows therapeutic effect on aging-associated deterioration of organs, and the mechanism of young blood action is enigmatic. Aging is often associated with a decreased autophagic activity, which contributes to the high sensitivity of aged livers to ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI). We previously demonstrated that age-impaired autophagy could be restored by young plasma. Here, we investigate the effect of young plasma in a model of liver IRI in aged rats, as well as the regulatory mechanisms of autophagy. We show that young plasma could restore of age-impaired autophagic activity, at least in part, via adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase(AMPK)/unc-51 like autophagy activating kinase (ULK)1 signaling, and subsequently ameliorate age-dependent liver IRI. These findings further support the concept that young blood affords a therapeutic potential role in the management of aging-associated deterioration of organs.

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