We are all aging, and here's why

Here, through this review, we aim to serve this purpose by first discussing the statistics and aging demographics, including the life expectancy of the world and India, along with the gender life expectancy gap observed throughout the world, followed by explaining the hallmarks and integral causes of aging, along with the role played by senescent cells in controlling inflammation and the effect of senescence associated secretory phenotype on longevity. A few of the molecular pathways which are crucial in modulating the process of aging, such as the nutrient-sensing mTOR pathway, insulin signaling, Nrf2, FOXO, PI3-Akt, Sirtuins, and AMPK, and their effects are also covered in paramount detail. A diverse number of ingenious research methodologies are used in the modern era of longevity exploration. We have attempted to cover these methods under the umbrella of three broad categories: in vitro, in vivo, and in silico techniques. The drugs developed to attenuate the aging process, such as rapamycin, metformin, resveratrol, etc. and their interactions with the above-mentioned molecular pathways along with their toxicity have also been reviewed in detail. The average lifespan around the world is undergoing a steady rise. This increase mandates a corresponding increase in health span. Aging is a complex process and requires understanding of multiple interconnecting molecular pathways. Some of the well-known pathways include FOXO, sirtuin, mTOR, AMPK, etc. have been discussed in sufficient details. These pathways have proved to be a popular target for anti-aging therapeutics. Synthetic, natural, and hormonal therapeutics currently under study or shown to have anti-aging effect along with their method of action and side effects have been discussed.image