MELATONIN IN THE BUCCAL EPITHELIUM – A MARKER OF AGING AND CARDIOVASCULAR PATHOLOGY

Abstract

The presented paper explores the age-related peculiarities of melatonin (MT) expression in individuals without cardiovascular pathology (CVP) and patients with arterial hypertension (AH) by non-invasive method using buccal epithelium (BE). Immunocytochemical methods and immunofluorescence microscopy, as well as morphometry were used for the analysis of buccal epithelial smear. The study was performed in 3 age groups: young and middle-aged (25-59 years), elderly and senile-aged (60-89 years), and long-livers (90 years and over). It was found that the expression of MT in BE decreases 2-4,5 times with age and this process is more pronounced in patients with AH compared to those without CVP. Analysis of the level of MT in BE is a promising non-invasive method for assessing the rate of aging and the effectiveness of treatment of AH in individuals of different ages.