Molecular damage associated with ageing drives inflammation in cardiovascular disease

Abstract

Chronic inflammation has long been recognized as a major risk factor for and a causal contributor to cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, advances in omics technologies and deepening insights into CVD pathogenesis have expanded our understanding of the underlying mechanisms. Inflammation is now seen not as an isolated cause, but as one of several biological responses to cumulative tissue damage over time. In this Review, we propose that inflammation initially functions as a resilience mechanism, acting to resolve molecular and cellular damage driven by environmental stressors and intrinsic age-related entropy. With ageing, however, this protective response can become dysregulated and maladaptive, promoting collateral pathological changes. We illustrate this theory through two examples, atherosclerosis and age-related impairment of tissue perfusion, and support these conceptual models using proteomic data from large population studies with cardiovascular outcomes. Our findings reaffirm the central role of inflammation in CVD pathophysiology, but also indicate that the upstream biological driver of inflammation is molecular damage that is either not readily prevented or repaired by inadequate resilience mechanisms. Understanding the coordination of these responses offers new opportunities for targeted prevention and treatment of CVD.