30 June 2025

How the Extracellular Matrix May Hold the Key to Slowing Heart Aging

A recent study is shedding light on an overlooked factor in heart aging — the extracellular matrix (ECM). Scientists believe that targeting this critical network of molecules could lead to future treatments that slow or even reverse age-related heart decline.

The ECM is often described as the structural scaffold surrounding cells. It plays essential roles in providing support, enabling communication between cells, preventing tissues from fusing, and assisting with wound repair. While most aging research focuses on how cells deteriorate over time, this study explores how changes in the ECM itself impact the heart as it ages.

Researchers explain that with age, the ECM becomes stiffer and less flexible. This stiffening is partly caused by the activation of cardiac fibroblasts, which leads to fibrosis — a buildup of connective tissue. While fibrosis is beneficial in repairing damaged tissue, excessive fibrosis in aging hearts reduces their ability to pump blood effectively.

To better understand how ECM changes affect cardiac aging, researchers developed an advanced model called DECIPHER (DECellularized In Situ Polyacrylamide Hydrogel-ECM hybrid). This innovative system combines lab-grown materials with rat heart tissue, allowing scientists to study how changes in ECM stiffness and cellular signaling interact.

According to study author Avery Rui Sun, this model enables researchers to separately control tissue stiffness and biochemical signals. This had not been possible in previous research using native tissue. By doing so, they observed that maintaining youthful biochemical signals had a stronger influence on heart health than ECM stiffness alone.

Lead researcher Jennifer Young highlights that this finding suggests the surrounding biochemical environment is a crucial factor in preventing heart cell dysfunction associated with aging.

Cardiologist Dr. Nishant Kalra, who was not involved in the study, notes that molecules present in younger heart tissue can prevent the activation of fibrosis-related cells even when the tissue remains physically stiff. This insight offers new directions for therapies aimed at modifying the ECM to support healthier aging hearts.

While these findings are promising, experts stress that this research is still at an early stage and based on animal models. Human studies are needed to confirm whether the same outcomes apply.

In the meantime, there are proven strategies to support heart health as we age. Dr. Kalra recommends engaging in regular aerobic exercise, following heart-healthy diets such as the Mediterranean or DASH diets, maintaining a healthy weight, quitting smoking, getting 7–9 hours of quality sleep, and managing stress through practices like meditation or outdoor activities.

Family physician Dr. Daniel Atkinson also advises limiting alcohol to no more than 14 units per week and avoiding binge drinking. He explains that excessive alcohol raises blood pressure and weakens the heart muscle, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Overall, while future therapies may target the ECM, adopting these healthy lifestyle habits remains the most effective way to protect the heart as we age.