The Role of Systemic Filtrating Organs in Aging and Their Potential in Rejuvenation Strategies

Abstract

Advances in aging studies brought about by heterochronic parabiosis suggest that agingmight be a reversable process that is affected by changes in the systemic milieu of organs andcells. Given the broadness of such a systemic approach, research to date has mainly questioned theinvolvement of “shared organs” versus “circulating factors”. However, in the absence of a clearunderstanding of the chronological development of aging and a unified platform to evaluate thesuccesses claimed by specific rejuvenation methods, current literature on this topic remains scattered.Herein, aging is assessed from an engineering standpoint to isolate possible aging potentiators via ajuxtaposition between biological and mechanical systems. Such a simplification provides a generalframework for future research in the field and examines the involvement of various factors in aging.Based on this simplified overview, the kidney as a filtration organ is clearly implicated, for the firsttime, with the aging phenomenon, necessitating a re-evaluation of current rejuvenation studies tountangle the extent of its involvement and its possible role as a potentiator in aging. Based on thesefindings, the review concludes with potential translatable and long-term therapeutics for aging whileoffering a critical view of rejuvenation methods proposed to date.