Biochemical correlates with myocardial aging.

Both contraction and relaxation times are prolonged in cardiac muscle of senescent animals. This is in part explained by an alteration of excitation-contraction coupling due to an increased duration of the action potential, reduced biosynthesis of the Ca(2+)-stimulated ATPase pump of sarcoplasmic reticulum, and prevalence of the V3 isoform of myosin with slow ATPase activity. The response to catecholamine decreases with aging because of a defective transmission of alpha and beta adrenergic stimulation mediated respectively by phosphoinositide hydrolysis and adenylate cyclase. Cardiac energetics is also impaired in the aged myocardium, since ATP and creatine phosphate levels are reduced by about 20%. This reduction seems in part the consequence of defective mitochondrial function, especially in fatty acid oxidation and ATP translocation to the cytoplasm. In this paper we have discussed the possibility that oxygen free radicals may be a cause of myocardial senescence, by damaging the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes as well as membranes and other cellular components.