Catecholamine Research pp 123-126 | Cite as
Mechanisms of Tyrosine Hydroxylase Regulation with Age
Abstract
The incidence of cardiovascular disease increases in the elderly. In particular, the elderly do not regulate blood pressure as well as young people.1 Plasma catecholamines (CAs) and CA biosynthesis in the adrenal medulla increase with age and may be contributing to the prevalence of hypertension in the elderly1. Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) is the rate-limiting enzyme in catecholamine biosynthesis. TH gene expression and TH activity are elevated in the adrenal medulla of senescent rats. An elevated sympathoadrenal activity with age might play an important role in the pathogenesis of genetically determined blood pressure elevation2. The sustained elevation of catecholaminergic activity most likely requires increases in TH gene expression to maintain the augmented CAs. The failure of homeostatic regulation may be contributing to this autonomic dysfunction in the elderly. Autonomic dysfunction not only contributes to medical problems in the elderly, but strongly affects the quality of life in relatively healthy individuals.
Keywords
Exercise Training Tyrosine Hydroxylase Adrenal Medulla Tyrosine Hydroxylase Gene Catecholamine BiosynthesisPreview
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