REVIEW: Epigenetic Clock: DNA Methylation as a Marker of Biological Age and Age-Associated Diseases

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Ivan S. Kiselev^1,2,a*, Natalia M. Baulina^1,2, Olga O. Favorova^1,2

¹Chazov National Medical Research Center of Cardiology, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 121552 Moscow, Russia

²Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 117513 Moscow, Russia

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received: June 25, 2024; Revised: July 11, 2024; Accepted: July 20, 2024

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Age is one of the key criteria of human health used in practical medicine to predict the risk of common chronic diseases. However, biological age, which reflects the state of an individual organism, functional capabilities, social well-being, and risk of premature death from various causes, often does not coincide with chronological age. To determine biological age of a particular individuals and the rate of their aging, specific panels of DNA methylation markers called “epigenetic clock” (EC) were proposed. This review summarizes the data about the main types of ECs developed to date and their key characteristics. We described the results of works studying individual aging rates in common age-associated diseases and outlined main directions, development of which could expand application of ECs in fundamental and practical medicine. There is no doubt that revealing complex mechanisms underlying interaction between the rate of epigenetic aging and the risk of age-associated diseases could play a key role for prediction and early diagnosis, as well as for the development of preventive measures that could delay onset of the disease.

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KEY WORDS: biological age, DNA methylation, epigenetic clock, epigenetic age acceleration, age-associated diseases

DOI: 10.1134/S0006297924602843

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