ABSTRACT
This chapter summarizes relevant discoveries that clarify some of the roles of transient receptor potential (TRP) channels in the aging process. Cilia function as sensory receptors, expressing many G protein-coupled receptors and TRP channels, and mutants with defective sensory cilia have impaired sensory perception. One prominent model assumes that lowering the body temperature would reduce the rate of chemical reactions, thereby leading to a slower pace of living. Impairment of TRPV1 sensory receptors is sufficient to extend mouse lifespan and improve many aspects of health in aging mice such as metabolic decline, cognitive impairment, and cancer incidence. The presence of low-grade chronic inflammation, common of obesity-associated diseases, has been termed “metainflammation”. Similarly, transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) mutant animals present reduced metainflammation in the brain and skeletal muscle tissues, both shown to be critically involved in aging and insulin resistance upon inflammatory activation.
