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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2023 Apr 3.
Published in final edited form as: Exp Gerontol. 2023 Jan 31;173:112105. doi: 10.1016/j.exger.2023.112105

Fig. 2. Mechanisms of arterial aging.

Fig. 2.

Age-related increases in chronic, low-grade inflammation and reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated oxidative stress drive the hallmarks of aging including mitochondrial dysfunction, dysregulated energy sensing and cellular senescence and changes in circulating factors, another fundamental aging mechanism. Together, these upstream processes contribute to arterial dysfunction (i.e., endothelial dysfunction and large elastic artery stiffening) by reducing the bioavailability of the vasodilatory molecule nitric oxide (NO) which ultimately leads to the development of cardiovascular diseases (CVD).