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= Aging of Naked Mole Rats = Aging and understanding what biochemical factors contribute to it is important in attempting to slow it down. One species in particular has interesting aging qualities, Naked Mole Rats (NMRs)--they have a rather long life expectancy.

Oxidative Stress
A contributing factor to aging is the oxidative stress on an organism caused by the presence of reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS contribute to the deterioration and damage of the mitochondria and cells. The presence of too much ROS is what causes the damage. ROS plays a vital role in cell proliferation and survival by responding to stress. Increase ROS leads to increased response and unregulated proliferation and other downstream effects. Antioxidants prevent damage of ROS by neutralizing them, again with the presence of too much ROS and not enough antioxidants, damage occurs in the form of aging. Therefore, species with sufficient antioxidant defense can minimize aging effects due to ROS.

When looking at ROS production in NMRs compared to similar species, such as mice, the levels are comparable. When looking at antioxidant levels compared to those same similar species, the levels again are comparable. Regardless of this, NMRs due have increased membrane resistance to oxidative stress. Rather than by means of minimizing the damage due to oxidatve stress by regulating ROS through antioxidants, NMRs do so by controlling phospholipids, notably, repairing and removing damaged phospholipids in an efficient manner.

Telomere Shortening
A contributing factor to aging is the shortening of telomeres. Accumulating of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage over time affects the genome randomly, but the telomere region is especially susceptible to deterioration of the DNA when compared to other regions. The DNA polymerases associated with DNA replication shorten telomeres with each replication due to its failure to completely replicate the terminal ends. This shortening leads to cellular senescence and aging. Telomere shortening can also lead to premature development of pulmonary fibrosis, dyskeratosis congenita, and aplastic anemia. It has been shown in mice that aging can be reverted by slowing down this telomere shortening. Telomere polymerase (telomerase) activity contributes to this shortening. Highly active telomerase has been shown to fight the affects of aging in mice.

Telomere shortening has correlative and causal in mice and human, but not in NMRs. There is no correlation between telomere length or telomerase activity in NMRs. Relatively, the NMRs telomere length are similar to that of humans. Telomere shortening in NMRs plays a significantly less pivotal role than in humans and comparable species such as mice.