Genetic and physiological aspects of oxidative profile in sleep and healthy aging

• Grant number: 09/12116-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: March 01, 2010
• End date: December 31, 2011
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Medical Clinics
• Principal Investigator: Sergio Tufik
• Grantee: Diego Robles Mazzotti
• Host Institution: Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 98/14303-3 - Center for Sleep Studies, AP.CEPID

Abstract

In the last decades, the increase in life expectancy accompanied by steadily decreases in mortality rates highlights the world population aging as an irreversible process. The oxidative stress hypothesis of aging suggests that accumulation of oxidative damage during lifespan is related to loss of cellular functions, a process normally associated with aging. However, it has been proposed that individuals, who live longer in a successful manner, tend to be more adapted against aging physiological changes. Sleep is an essential mechanism that plays important roles in maintaining health and well-being. Growing evidence suggests interrelationships between oxidative stress and sleep, while the latter is an important mechanism involved in redox balance maintenance. Therefore, the present study proposes the characterization of sleep patterns of healthy young adults, elderly individuals and nonagenarians using polysomnographic recordings, in order to clarify the importance of sleep in longevity. Furthermore, this study intends to analyze the stress oxidative-related gene expression in peripheral blood of the three studied groups, using the Superarray - RT2 Profiler" PCR Array System. After the identification of genes, whose expression pattern among groups suggest a more specific role in longevity, possible genomic sources of variation will be investigated by genotyping polymorphisms in these genes, aiming to correlate the genetics variants with changes in gene expression, sleep parameters and longevity. Subsequently, the effect of the polymorphisms identified will be confirmed in an expanded sample constituted of various age-ranges. The study will provide a better characterization of molecular and physiological mechanisms involved in healthy aging, hoping to contribute to the development of more advanced clinical tools,capable to offer a better quality of life for the elderly.