Endothelial Sirtuins and Mitochondrial Function Are Associated With Testosterone Status: Implications for Accelerated Vascular Aging in Middle-Age and Older Men With Low Testosterone.

Plain-language summary

This study looked at whether low testosterone in middle-aged and older men is tied to worse blood vessel health through effects on mitochondria, the tiny power plants inside cells. Researchers compared mitochondrial function and oxidative stress in blood and blood-vessel cells from young men with normal testosterone, older men with normal testosterone, and older men with low testosterone. Older men with low testosterone had lower mitochondrial energy output and less SIRT3, a protein that protects blood vessels, than both other groups. This points to low testosterone speeding up blood-vessel aging by weakening mitochondrial function.

Key findings

• Older men with low testosterone had reduced mitochondrial function in blood cells compared to young men and older men with normal testosterone.
• Older men with low testosterone had lower levels of SIRT3, a mitochondrial protector, in blood vessel cells.
• The study suggests a link between low testosterone, mitochondrial problems, and faster blood vessel aging.