The impact of aging on liver health and the development of liver diseases

Abstract

The number of individuals aged 65 years and older is expected to grow significantly in the coming decades. As life expectancy improves, the likelihood of developing chronic diseases, such as liver diseases, rises sharply with age. Aging is characterized by 3 main categories of hallmarks: primary, antagonistic, and integrative hallmarks. These categories are also observed in the liver, which ages more slowly than other organs. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of the mechanisms of aging as they pertain to the liver. This includes aging-related structural and functional changes in the liver, the roles of liver parenchymal and nonparenchymal cells, oxidative stress, and the sirtuin 1 protein. We also discuss how aging may influence the development and therapeutic management of various common liver diseases, including ischemia-reperfusion injury, DILI, alcohol-associated liver disease, and metabolic dysfunction–associated liver diseases.