Greenland shark
The Greenland shark shows massive accumulations of aging markers, such as severe scarring, but this does not appear to affect its health or longevity.
Greenland has been on the world’s lips because of Donald Trump… but don’t worry, this article doesn’t talk about any of that. Not from Trump, not from rare earths, not from wars, not from Denmark… But from Greenland shark’s incredible longevity.
This deep-sea predator survives for centuries, even though it is very sick at heart. Greenland sharks (Dreamy microcephalus) live between 250 and 500 years old — but their hearts show signs of serious age-related disease even when the sharks are just 150 years old.
Some parts of the shark’s body, such as its eyes, appear impervious to aging and cancer, which could have suggested that this marine predator’s heart was also protected from age-related decline.
However, an analysis of the bioRxiv in late December revealed that Greenland sharks do, in fact, show signs of serious heart disease — and yet, there is no apparent loss of function or reduction in life expectancy of the species.
Alessandro Cellerinofrom the Scuola Normale Superiore, in Pisa, Italy, a member of the team that conducted the investigation, detailed the results of the analysis of six Greenland sharks: four females and two males, all over 3 meters in length.
Based on their length, the team estimates that the six specimens were between 100 and 150 years old. The team performed a series of microscopy tests on the animals’ hearts, including high-resolution fluorescence microscopy and electron microscopy.
“We discovered that the heart of the Greenland shark is highly fibrotic and is full of the aging markers lipofuscin and nitrotyrosine,” said the researcher.
In a human, a high level of fibrosis, or scarring of heart tissue, is a common indicator of heart disease age-related and potential heart failure.
However, in the Greenland shark the “massive accumulation” of lipofuscin associated with mitochondrial damage and the other markers of aging appear not to be harmful, not compromising its longevity.
The presence of elevated levels of nitrotyrosine, another indicator of heart disease that signals inflammation and oxidative stress, suggests that the Greenland shark strategies may have evolved to tolerate chronic oxidative damage “instead of simply minimizing them”.
Cellerino says the Greenland shark has extraordinary resilience against aging, particularly cardiac aging – which can inspire the study of human aging.
“The fact that there is a creature on this planet whose heart can coexist with the aging process without apparent decline is remarkable. These discoveries highlight the exceptional resilience of the Greenland shark heart and highlight its potential to inform future strategies to promote healthy aging”, he praised.
