Frail Elderly DNA Methylation and Inflammatory Connections

Various risk factors in aging contribute to the pathogenesis of frailty. Epigenetic changes are among the factors that influence gene expression. It plays a role in regulating the immune system during aging, especially DNA methylation. DNA methylation profiles in the elderly have been widely studied. However, the differences in methylation patterns between robust and frail aging populations remain underexplored. A total of 32 subjects were recruited (age = 65 years old) , consisting of 16 as the frail group and 16 as the robust group. For further methylation sequencing, only one robust subject and four frail subjects were selected. The selection of these individuals was based on their TNF-a concentrations, representing one subject with the lowest and four with the highest TNF-a levels. In this study, we identified an association between altered DNA methylation patterns, mRNA expression levels, and inflammatory conditions in frail elderly. The differential expression of certain genes is likely influenced by differences in methylation level between the frail and robust groups. In overall methylation, the differential of 5mC was slightly significant (p=0.06), while 5hmC was not significantly different (p=0.53). We aim to investigate these differences to gain a deeper understanding of the pathogenesis of frailty in some specific genes. Overall design: There was no intervention within subjects. PBMC of frail and robust group was isolated from whole blood. The genomic DNA was extracted and underwent in DNA methylation analysis. This approach aims to show the differential methylated region between frail and robust elderly adult.