Autophagy and polyphenol intervention strategy in aging

Aging refers to a comprehensive manifestation of decreased functions and physical disorders during the degenerative period. Autophagy can remove damaged substances in cells, and it is involved in various physiological and pathological processes related to aging. Obviously, the relationship between autophagy and aging needs more in-depth researches, and it is also necessary to clarify the mechanism of autophagy. Polyphenols are considered as potential anti-aging agents, and there is a lack of summary about the effects of polyphenols on aging by regulating autophagy. In this review, we used comprehensive literature retrieval to summarize the regulatory pathways of autophagy, and the relationship between aging and autophagy. In addition, polyphenols that can interfere with aging by regulating autophagy were also reviewed. Relevant research articles published in English with no restrictions on publication date have been considered. The regulatory mechanism of autophagy includes various signaling pathways, except for the classical AMPK and PI3K/AKT/mTOR signals, which require special attention to the MAPK signal. Although there are some controversies, most current studies support the opinion that decreasing autophagy accelerates aging, and enhancing autophagy can delay aging. Polyphenols can delay cellular senescence and improve age-related diseases by regulating autophagy. Finally, we analyze the reasons that hinder the clinical application of polyphenols and the challenges in the development of autophagy targeted therapy.