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  • Open Access

27 September 2025

The Anti-Aging Effects of Polyphenols: The Mitochondrial Perspective †

,
and
1
Department of Pharmacology-Pharmacotherapy, Faculty of Pharmacy, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square, No. 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
2
Research Centre for Experimental Pharmacology and Drug Design (X-Pharm Design), “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square, No. 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Presented at the International Conference on Interdisciplinary Approaches and Emerging Trends in Pharmaceutical Doctoral Research: Innovation and Integration, Timisoara, Romania, 7–9 July 2025.
This article belongs to the Proceedings International Conference on Interdisciplinary Approaches and Emerging Trends in Pharmaceutical Doctoral Research: Innovation and Integration
Aging is characterized by a progressive decline in organ and cellular functions, followed by greater susceptibility to various diseases and death. With the continuous rise in the elderly population, aging is identified as one of the major focus points of modern medicine, and targeting hallmarks of aging could represent one possible method of ameliorating aging [,,]. To date, researchers have identified several hallmarks of aging, including mitochondrial dysfunction []. Specifically, during aging, there has been an observed increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, reduced ATP synthesis, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, excessive mutations of the mtDNA, changes in mitochondrial morphology, reduced mitochondrial number, and accumulation of damaged mitochondria [,,,]. Polyphenols are a group of natural compounds, found in various fruits and vegetables, that possess the ability to target multiple aging hallmarks [,]. All of the polyphenol subclasses—flavonoids, tannins, phenolic acids, coumarins, stilbenes, lignans, curcuminoids, and xanthonoids—can influence one or multiple mitochondrial pathways associated with aging: they can reduce ROS concentrations, improve ATP production and adenine nucleotide translocase (ANT) activity, influence electron transport chain function and mitochondrial fission and fusion, promote mitophagy and mitochondrial biogenesis, restore mitochondrial membrane potential, increase NAD+ levels, and promote sirtuin activity. The mentioned effects can be observed in vitro and in vivo, and can be accompanied by an improvement in age-related dysfunctions, such as exercise endurance, memory deficit, and visual function. Finally, polyphenols can extend lifespan by modulating mitochondrial functions, while the most prevalent exhibited effect is represented by ROS targeting.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, T.M. and C.Ș.; Methodology, T.M. and A.M.; Validation, A.M. and C.Ș.; Formal Analysis, T.M.; Investigation, T.M.; Data Curation, T.M.; Writing—Original Draft Preparation, T.M.; Writing—Review and Editing, C.Ș.; Visualization, A.M.; Supervision, C.Ș. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

This research received no external funding.

Institutional Review Board Statement

Not applicable.

Data Availability Statement

No new data were created or analyzed in this study.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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