TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN CLINICAL AND CLIMATOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION, VOL. 121, 2010 “OLD ” HEARTS AND ARTERIES: THE ROLE OF OXIDATIVE STRESS

Despite decades of investigation, the roles of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in atherosclerosis and aging have yet to be defined. We have devel-oped mouse models that allow this question to be addressed experimen-tally. Given the increase in risk factors for atherosclerosis — particularly related to marked increases in obesity and diabetes in industrialized countries—a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms that de-fine both atherosclerosis and aging is needed. The past decade has witnessed rapid progress in defining the mo-lecular mechanisms responsible for vascular diseases and, in particu-lar, the etiology of atherosclerosis and in therapeutic approaches to individuals with symptomatic atherosclerosis. Despite these advances, however, myocardial infarction, stroke and heart failure—all most commonly resulting from atherosclerosis—remain the leading causes of death in the United States and in all industrialized countries. Many risk factors for atherosclerotic vascular diseases can be treated medically or by life-style changes. Medical therapies for hyper-cholesterolemia, hypertension and diabetes mellitus are effective and reduce the risk of myocardial infarction, stroke and cardiovascular death. Although difficult, smoking cessation also results in a dramatic reduction in cardiovascular risk. Another often-cited risk factor for cardiovascular diseases is family history. In most instances, an in-creased incidence of myocardial infarction or stroke in families is largely due to hypercholesterolemia or hypertension and is, thus, treatable. However, it is becoming more and more clear that aging is a ris