Protein signatures from blood plasma and urine suggest changes in vascular function and IL-12 signaling in elderly with a history of chronic diseases compared with an age-matched healthy cohort

Characterization of the internal working-life exposome using minimally and non-invasive sampling methods - a narrative review

During recent years, we are moving away from the 'one exposure, one disease'-approach in occupational settings and towards a more comprehensive approach, taking into account the totality of exposures during a life course by using an exposome approach. Taking an exposome approach however is accompanied by many challenges, one of which, for example, relates to the collection of biological samples. Methods used for sample collection in occupational exposome studies should ideally be minimally invasive, while at the same time sensitive, and enable meaningful repeated sampling in a large population and over a longer time period. This might be hampered in specific situations e.g., people working in remote areas, during pandemics or with flexible work hours. In these situations, using self-sampling techniques might offer a solution. Therefore, our aim was to identify existing self-sampling techniques and to evaluate the applicability of these techniques in an occupational exposome context by conducting a literature review. We here present an overview of current self-sampling methodologies used to characterize the internal exposome. In addition, the use of different biological matrices was evaluated and subdivided based on their level of invasiveness and applicability in an occupational exposome context. In conclusion, this review and the overview of self-sampling techniques presented herein can serve as a guide in the design of future (occupational) exposome studies while circumventing sample collection challenges associated with exposome studies.

Translating Senotherapeutic Interventions into the Clinic with Emerging Proteomic Technologies

Cellular senescence is a state of irreversible growth arrest with profound phenotypic changes, including the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). Senescent cell accumulation contributes to aging and many pathologies including chronic inflammation, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and neurodegeneration. Targeted removal of senescent cells in preclinical models promotes health and longevity, suggesting that the selective elimination of senescent cells is a promising therapeutic approach for mitigating a myriad of age-related pathologies in humans. However, moving senescence-targeting drugs (senotherapeutics) into the clinic will require therapeutic targets and biomarkers, fueled by an improved understanding of the complex and dynamic biology of senescent cell populations and their molecular profiles, as well as the mechanisms underlying the emergence and maintenance of senescence cells and the SASP. Advances in mass spectrometry-based proteomic technologies and workflows have the potential to address these needs. Here, we review the state of translational senescence research and how proteomic approaches have added to our knowledge of senescence biology to date. Further, we lay out a roadmap from fundamental biological discovery to the clinical translation of senotherapeutic approaches through the development and application of emerging proteomic technologies, including targeted and untargeted proteomic approaches, bottom-up and top-down methods, stability proteomics, and surfaceomics. These technologies are integral for probing the cellular composition and dynamics of senescent cells and, ultimately, the development of senotype-specific biomarkers and senotherapeutics (senolytics and senomorphics). This review aims to highlight emerging areas and applications of proteomics that will aid in exploring new senescent cell biology and the future translation of senotherapeutics.

Cell non-autonomous regulation of cerebrovascular aging processes by the somatotropic axis

Age-related cerebrovascular pathologies, ranging from cerebromicrovascular functional and structural alterations to large vessel atherosclerosis, promote the genesis of vascular cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID) and exacerbate Alzheimer's disease. Recent advances in geroscience, including results from studies on heterochronic parabiosis models, reinforce the hypothesis that cell non-autonomous mechanisms play a key role in regulating cerebrovascular aging processes. Growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) exert multifaceted vasoprotective effects and production of both hormones is significantly reduced in aging. This brief overview focuses on the role of age-related GH/IGF-1 deficiency in the development of cerebrovascular pathologies and VCID. It explores the mechanistic links among alterations in the somatotropic axis, specific macrovascular and microvascular pathologies (including capillary rarefaction, microhemorrhages, impaired endothelial regulation of cerebral blood flow, disruption of the blood brain barrier, decreased neurovascular coupling, and atherogenesis) and cognitive impairment. Improved understanding of cell non-autonomous mechanisms of vascular aging is crucial to identify targets for intervention to promote cerebrovascular and brain health in older adults.

Changes in the urinary proteome before and after quadrivalent influenza vaccine and COVID-19 vaccination

The proteome of urine samples from quadrivalent influenza vaccine cohort were analyzed with self-contrasted method. Significantly changed urine protein at 24 hours after vaccination was enriched in immune-related pathways, although each person’s specific pathways varied. We speculate that this may be because different people have different immunological backgrounds associated with influenza. Then, urine samples were collected from several uninfected SARS-CoV-2 young people before and after the first, second, and third doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. The differential proteins compared between after the second dose (24h) and before the second dose were enriched in pathways involving in multicellular organismal process, regulated exocytosis and immune-related pathways, indicating no first exposure to antigen. Surprisingly, the pathways enriched by the differential urinary protein before and after the first dose were similar to those before and after the second dose. It is inferred that although the volunteers were not infected with SARS-CoV-2, they might have been exposed to other coimmunogenic coronaviruses. Two to four hours after the third vaccination, the differentially expressed protein were also enriched in multicellular organismal process, regulated exocytosis and immune-related pathways, indicating that the immune response has been triggered in a short time after vaccination. Multicellular organismal process and regulated exocytosis after vaccination may be a new indicator to evaluate the immune effect of vaccines. Urinary proteome is a terrific window to monitor the changes in human immune function.

Many kinds of oxidized proteins are present more in the urine of the elderly

Background

Many studies have shown an association between aging and oxidation. To our knowledge, there have been no studies exploring aging-related urine proteome modifications. The purpose of this study was to explore differences in global chemical modifications of urinary protein at different ages.

Methods

Discovery (n=38) cohort MS data including children, young and old groups were downloaded from three published studies, and this data was analyzed using open-pFind for identifying modifications. Verification cohort human samples (n=28) including young, middle-aged, and old groups, rat samples (n=7) at three-time points after birth, adulthood, and old age were collected and processed in the laboratory simultaneously based on label-free quantification combined with pFind.

Results

Discovery cohort: there were 28 kinds of differential oxidations in the old group that were higher than those in the young or children group in. Verification cohort: there were 17 kinds of differential oxidations of 49 oxidized proteins in the middle and old groups, which were significantly higher than those in the young group. Both oxidations and oxidized proteins distinguished different age groups well. There were also 15 kinds of differential oxidations in old age higher than others in the rat cohort. The results showed that the validation experiment was basically consistent with the results of the discovery experiment, showing that the level of oxidized proteins in urine increased significantly with age.

Conclusions

Our study is the first to show that oxidative proteins occur in urine and that oxidations are higher in older than younger ages. Perhaps improving the degree of excretion of oxidative protein in vivo through the kidney is helpful for maintaining the homeostasis of the body’s internal environment, delaying aging and the occurrence of senile diseases.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12014-022-09360-2.

Protective Effects of PACAP in a Rat Model of Diabetic Neuropathy

Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide (PACAP) is a neuropeptide with a widespread occurrence and diverse effects. PACAP has well-documented neuro- and cytoprotective effects, proven in numerous studies. Among others, PACAP is protective in models of diabetes-associated diseases, such as diabetic nephropathy and retinopathy. As the neuropeptide has strong neurotrophic and neuroprotective actions, we aimed at investigating the effects of PACAP in a rat model of streptozotocin-induced diabetic neuropathy, another common complication of diabetes. Rats were treated with PACAP1-38 every second day for 8 weeks starting simultaneously with the streptozotocin injection. Nerve fiber morphology was examined with electron microscopy, chronic neuronal activation in pain processing centers was studied with FosB immunohistochemistry, and functionality was assessed by determining the mechanical nociceptive threshold. PACAP treatment did not alter body weight or blood glucose levels during the 8-week observation period. However, PACAP attenuated the mechanical hyperalgesia, compared to vehicle-treated diabetic animals, and it markedly reduced the morphological signs characteristic for neuropathy: axon–myelin separation, mitochondrial fission, unmyelinated fiber atrophy, and basement membrane thickening of endoneurial vessels. Furthermore, PACAP attenuated the increase in FosB immunoreactivity in the dorsal spinal horn and periaqueductal grey matter. Our results show that PACAP is a promising therapeutic agent in diabetes-associated complications, including diabetic neuropathy.

Acute, Exercise-Induced Alterations in Cytokines and Chemokines in the Blood Distinguish Physically Active and Sedentary Aging

Aging results in a chronic, proinflammatory state which can promote and exacerbate age-associated diseases. In contrast, physical activity in older adults improves whole body health, protects against disease, and reduces inflammation, but the elderly are less active making it difficult to disentangle the effects of aging from a sedentary lifestyle. To interrogate this interaction, we analyzed peripheral blood collected at rest and postexercise from 68 healthy younger and older donors that were either physically active aerobic exercisers or chronically sedentary. Subjects were profiled for 44 low-abundance cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors in peripheral blood. At rest, we found that regular physical activity had no impact on the age-related elevation in circulating IL-18, eotaxin, GRO, IL-8, IP-10, PDGF-AA, or RANTES. Similarly, there was no impact of physical activity on the age-related reduction in VEGF, EGF, or IL-12 (p70). However, older exercisers had lower resting plasma fractalkine, IL-3, IL-6, and TNF-α compared to sedentary older adults. In contrast to our resting characterization, blood responses following acute exercise produced more striking difference between groups. Physically active younger and older subjects increased over 50% of the analyzed factors in their blood which resulted in both unique and overlapping exercise signatures. However, sedentary individuals, particularly the elderly, had few detectable changes in response to exercise. Overall, we show that long-term physical activity has a limited effect on age-associated changes in basal cytokines and chemokines in the healthy elderly, yet physically active individuals exhibit a broader induction of factors postexercise irrespective of age.