• HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
Tuesday, September 9, 2025
BIOENGINEER.ORG
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
No Result
View All Result
Bioengineer.org
No Result
View All Result
Home NEWS Science News Biology

Environmental pollutants could impact cellular signs of aging

Bioengineer by Bioengineer
May 1, 2019
in Biology
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinShare on RedditShare on Telegram

Researchers have linked some environmental pollutants with diseases, a decreased life span and signs of premature aging, such as wrinkles and age spots. But can accelerated aging be detected at the cellular level in healthy people exposed to pollutants? Now, researchers in the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology report that although pollutant exposure can affect two hallmarks of aging in people (mitochondrial DNA content and telomere length), the results are not so clear-cut.

Some environmental pollutants cause mitochondria — the cell’s powerhouses — to release more reactive oxygen species, which can damage the DNA ¬¬in these organelles and lead to inflammation. Telomeres, the DNA-protein caps on the ends of chromosomes that allow them to continue dividing, are also sensitive to environmental stress. Shorter telomeres are a hallmark of aging, whereas abnormally long telomeres are often seen in cancer cells. Michelle Plusquin of Hasselt University and colleagues wondered if individual pollutants, or combinations of them, could affect mitochondrial DNA content or telomere length in people.

To find out, the researchers analyzed various pollutants in blood and urine samples from 175 adults (50 to 65 years old) enrolled in the Flemish Environment and Health Study. The team determined mitochondrial DNA content and telomere length from the participants’ blood cells. The researchers used multipollutant models to study all pollutants simultaneously, a novel approach in environmental sciences. They found that people with higher levels of urinary copper and serum perfluorohexane sulfonic acid had decreased mitochondrial DNA content, while higher urinary copper and serum perflurooctanoic acid levels were linked with shorter telomeres. But some pollutants were associated with either higher mitochondrial DNA content or longer telomeres. These findings suggest that pollutants could impact molecular hallmarks of aging, though more research is needed to determine the mechanism and biological effects, the researchers say.

###

The authors acknowledge funding from the Ministry of the Flemish Community, the European Union IDEAS program, the Flemish Scientific Fund, the Hasselt University Research Fund and the Research Foundation Flanders.

The paper’s abstract will be available on May 1 at 8 a.m. Eastern time here: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.est.8b07141

The American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society, is a not-for-profit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS is a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. ACS does not conduct research, but publishes and publicizes peer-reviewed scientific studies. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

To automatically receive news releases from the American Chemical Society, contact [email protected].

Follow us: Twitter | Facebook

Media Contact
Katie Cottingham
[email protected]

Tags: AgingBiochemistryCell BiologyChemistry/Physics/Materials SciencesPollution/Remediation
Share13Tweet8Share2ShareShareShare2

Related Posts

Hsa_circ_0077007: New Hope for Colorectal Cancer

September 9, 2025
Meet the Finalists: 2025 Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists Revealed

Meet the Finalists: 2025 Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists Revealed

September 9, 2025

Future Ocean Warming Threatens Prochlorococcus Biomass

September 9, 2025

Impact of Stimulants on Wheat Germination and Growth

September 9, 2025
Please login to join discussion

POPULAR NEWS

  • blank

    Breakthrough in Computer Hardware Advances Solves Complex Optimization Challenges

    151 shares
    Share 60 Tweet 38
  • New Drug Formulation Transforms Intravenous Treatments into Rapid Injections

    116 shares
    Share 46 Tweet 29
  • First Confirmed Human Mpox Clade Ib Case China

    56 shares
    Share 22 Tweet 14
  • Physicists Develop Visible Time Crystal for the First Time

    48 shares
    Share 19 Tweet 12

About

We bring you the latest biotechnology news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Follow us

Recent News

Male Creators’ Eating Disorder Trends on Social Media

Ultrasonic Regeneration Revives Nano-Phase Change Emulsions for Enhanced Low-Temperature Performance

City of Hope Unveils Innovative National Clinical Trials Model to Fast-Track Cancer Research

  • Contact Us

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Homepages
    • Home Page 1
    • Home Page 2
  • News
  • National
  • Business
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.