Extending lifespan through autophagy stimulation: a future perspective

Aging is a natural process characterized by the gradual decline of physiological functions. In the last decades, human lifespan has considerably increased. Consequently, population aging and the resulting increase of people affected by age-related diseases, is emerging as a major social and economic challenge in developed countries. This scenario has led to an exponential growth of research projects in the field of aging, with the aim of identifying amenable drug targets and pharmacological interventions to extend human healthy lifespan. Extensive evidence in literature suggests that the dysfunction of autophagy, a highly conserved pathway involved in maintaining cellular homeostasis, is part of the aging process with roles in the pathobiology of age-related diseases. Moreover, accumulating experimental data from invertebrate and vertebrate animal models demonstrate that intervening to increase lifespan also induces autophagy, suggesting that stimulating such cellular process may represent an effective strategy to increase longevity. Here, we reviewed the literature on autophagy in aging and age-related diseases, also discussing the perspective of behavioral and pharmacological interventions that may increase healthy lifespan through autophagy stimulation.