Review Examines Ageing Resilience in Mexican Cavefish Despite Metabolic Stress

In a narrative review published in Biogerontology, evidence demonstrates that multiple subterranean populations of the Mexican cavefish, Astyanax mexicanus, have independently evolved traits including insulin resistance, persistent hyperglycaemia, increased adiposity, altered sleep patterns, hypoxia tolerance, and extensive metabolic reprogramming. Despite these marked physiological differences, cavefish exhibit lifespans comparable to those of surface fish, while selected traits, including fertility and locomotor performance, appear to be better preserved with age.

These observations challenge the assumption that persistent metabolic dysfunction necessarily entails accelerated functional decline, raising the possibility that cavefish have evolved mechanisms of ageing resilience. Rather than eliminating metabolic stress, cave-associated adaptations may buffer some of its downstream consequences to preserve selected physiological functions. The review examines evidence linking cave adaptation to biological processes relevant to ageing, focusing specifically on nutrient sensing, lipid metabolism, mitochondrial function, redox homeostasis, and immune regulation.

Evaluating available evidence within the framework of the hallmarks of ageing, the review considers genomic instability, telomere dynamics, deregulated nutrient sensing, mitochondrial dysfunction, and chronic inflammation, while identifying major knowledge gaps regarding epigenetic alterations, loss of proteostasis, macroautophagy, cellular senescence, stem-cell exhaustion, altered intercellular communication, and dysbiosis. The author notes that Astyanax mexicanus supports comparative research into how chronic environmental and metabolic stress can be uncoupled from functional decline, emphasizing that distinguishing delayed ageing from enhanced tolerance or compensation in response to accumulated damage is essential to establish the mechanisms of ageing resilience in this species.

Subject of Research: Ageing resilience and metabolic adaptation in Mexican cavefish

Article Title: From cave adaptation to ageing resilience: the Mexican cavefish Astyanax mexicanus

Article References: Lagunas-Rangel, F. A. (2026). From cave adaptation to ageing resilience: the Mexican cavefish Astyanax mexicanus. Biogerontology, 27(6), Article 191. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10522-026-10540-y

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1007/s10522-026-10540-y

Keywords: Astyanax mexicanus, Mexican cavefish, ageing resilience, metabolic adaptation, hallmarks of ageing, hypoxia tolerance, insulin resistance, biogerontology, cave, adaptation, ageing, resilience