Monica Caceres - Tissue Repair in aging
Dr. Mónica Andrea Cáceres Lluch is a faculty member at the University of Chile in the department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, School of Medicine.
Her Research focuses on understanding the regulation of tissue repair with an emphasis on how these
processes change during aging.
https://www.uchile.cl/portafolio-academico/impresion.jsf?username=monicacaceresll
Aging is a biological process characterized by a decrease in cell function
which may result in a gradual impairment of the regenerative properties of most tissues. During
wound-healing, cells are committed to repopulate damaged tissues through
cell proliferation, differentiation, and migration. Connective
tissue cells surrounding the lesion receive signals from extracellular matrix
molecules and soluble factors that stimulate cell migration to conform the
granulation tissue. At the intracellular level, cell migration is driven by changes in the polymerization and contraction of acto-myosin fibers. This process is controlled, at
least in part, by the small GTPase Rac1 that commands cell migration during
wound-healing in vivo. During granulation tissue maturation,
fibroblasts differentiate into a specific phenotype known as myofibroblasts. Myofibroblasts correspond to a population of mesenchymal cells exhibiting high contractile activity due to the expression of the actin
isoform α-smooth-muscle actin (α-SMA). These cells are actively involved
in collagen secretion and matrix remodeling. Aging causes
a delay in the regeneration of periodontal tissues, probably due to modifications in cell phenotype, defects
in cell proliferation, and changes in the regulation of inflammatory cytokines.
In addition, aging may decrease the synthesis of collagen types I and III. All these studies have made important
contributions to our understanding of the effects of aging on periodontal tissues. However, critically important aspects of wound-healing, including cell migration, myofibroblastic differentiation, and matrix remodeling, remain to
be explored.