Effect of Mitochondrial Function on Cell Senescence and Anti-ging Effect of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Moxibustion： A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ABSTRACT

Since ancient times， delaying aging， health， and longevity have been the universal wish of people. Nowadays， China gives top strategic priority to the development of people's health. How to maintain a healthy life and slow down the aging of the human body is a problem worthy of our attention. Human aging can be shown as cell senescence from the microscopic level. Cell senescence is a process in which cell proliferation and differentiation and physiological function gradually decline. It is a normal physiological function responsible for the removal of damaged cells and is the regeneration and recovery of tissues after injury or acute stress. Aging is an irresistible natural law. Although it is inevitable， it is possible to delay aging. Energy metabolism is an important basis of cell function， in which cells use nutrients such as sugar and fat to produce adenosine triphosphate （ATP）. Mitochondria serve as the cell's power stations， where sugars， fats， and amino acids are eventually oxidized to release energy. Mitochondrial function decreases with age. Changes in mitochondrial dynamics， reactive oxygen species content， autophagy， and metabolites can cause dysfunction of electron transport chain and oxidative phosphorylation， and induce mitochondrial dysfunction. Mitochondrial dysfunction is one of the internal causes of many aging-related diseases， such as neurodegenerative diseases， Alzheimer′s disease， and atherosclerosis. Chinese medicine with few side effects and rich ingredients and health care moxibustion with safety and efficacy have been widely applied to the field of anti-aging. This study reviewed the effect of mitochondrial function on cell senescence， and retrieved， analyzed， and summarized research papers on the mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） and moxibustion in delaying aging by affecting mitochondrial function， which is expected to provide new insights for further research in this field.