
06/09/2025
What is this medical journal means about redox signaling, aging, autophagy, inflammation, and senescence?
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1. Redox Signaling – The Body’s “Traffic Lights”
• Redox signaling uses tiny chemical messengers (based on oxygen and other molecules) to tell cells when to repair, grow, or defend themselves.
• Think of it like traffic lights inside your body: green means go (heal, repair), red means stop (don’t grow damaged cells), yellow means caution (trigger defense systems).
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2. Autophagy – The Cell’s Recycling System
• As we age, old or damaged cell parts build up.
• Autophagy is like the cell’s cleaning and recycling crew—it clears out the “junk” so cells can work properly.
• Redox signals help switch on this cleanup system when needed. But if redox signaling weakens with age, the cleanup slows, and waste piles up → making cells sluggish and unhealthy.
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3. Inflammation – The Fire Alarm
• Short bursts of inflammation are helpful (like a fire alarm calling firefighters to put out a small fire).
• But with aging, redox signaling often gets unbalanced. The alarm stays on too long → chronic inflammation (“smoldering fire”) damages tissues, joints, blood vessels, and even brain function.
• Faulty redox signals are like a broken fire alarm that won’t shut off.
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4. Cellular Senescence – Old Cells That Won’t Retire
• Cells have a lifespan. When they get too damaged, they’re supposed to either fix themselves or self-destruct.
• But some “old” cells become senescent—they stop working but don’t die.
• These “zombie cells” release harmful signals that spread stress and inflammation to nearby cells.
• Redox imbalance accelerates this problem, while healthy redox signaling can help keep these zombie cells in check.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37195483/?fbclid=IwRlRTSAMpHU9leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHiCavd6cUUIKCPriNhYEC7exbe-XBYzRjPyEJfIvPgLAdnPWypcZ84XmLZM6_aem_nCN_t4NTl1ywItz3WVIOAw
Review paper attempts to explain the dynamic aspects of redox signaling in aging through autophagy, inflammation, and senescence. It begins with ROS source in the cell, then states redox signaling in autophagy, and regulation of autophagy in aging. Next, we discuss inflammation and redox signaling w...