Autor(es): Ferreira-Marques, Marisa ; Carmo Silva, Sara ; Pereira, Joana ; Botelho, Mariana ; Nóbrega, Clévio ; López‐Otín, Carlos ; Almeida, Luís Pereira de ; Aveleira, Célia A. ; Cavadas, Cláudia
Data: 2025
Identificador Persistente: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.8/14161
Origem: IC-online
Assunto(s): Biology of aging; Brain aging; Hypothalamus; Neuropeptide Y
The hypothalamus has been recognized as a regulator of whole-body aging. Neuropeptide Y (NPY), highly abundant in the central nervous system and produced by the hypothalamus, enhances autophagy in this brain region and mediates autophagy triggered by caloric restriction, suggesting a potential role as a caloric restriction mimetic and an aging regulator. Considering that hypothalamic NPY levels decline during aging, we investigated if reestablishment of NPY levels mitigate aging phenotype, using a mouse model of premature aging – Zmpste24−/− mouse. The results show that reestablishing hypothalamic NPY levels delayed aging-associated features, including lipodystrophy, alopecia, and memory. Moreover, these results suggest that strategies that promote maintenance of hypothalamic NPY levels might be relevant to counteract aging progression and age-related deteriorations.
