The incidence and prevalence of cardiac diseases, which are the main cause of death worldwide, are likely to increase because of population ageing. Prevailing theories about the mechanisms of ageing feature the gradual derailment of cellular protein homeostasis (proteostasis) and loss of protein quality control as central factors. In the heart, loss of protein patency, owing to flaws in genetically-determined design or because of environmentally-induced 'wear and tear', can overwhelm protein quality control, thereby triggering derailment of proteostasis and contributing to cardiac ageing. Failure of protein quality control involves impairment of chaperones, ubiquitin–proteosomal systems, autophagy, and loss of sarcomeric and cytoskeletal proteins, all of which relate to induction of cardiomyocyte senescence. Targeting protein quality control to maintain cardiac proteostasis offers a novel therapeutic strategy to promote cardiac health and combat cardiac disease. Currently marketed drugs are available to explore this concept in the clinical setting.

由于人口老龄化，心脏疾病的发病率和患病率是全球范围内的主要死亡原因，可能会增加。关于衰老机制的流行理论以细胞蛋白质稳态（蛋白稳态）的逐渐脱轨和蛋白质质量控​​制的丧失为中心因素。在心脏中，由于基因决定的设计中的缺陷或由于环境导致的“磨损”，导致蛋白质通畅性的丧失可能使蛋白质质量控​​制不堪重负，从而引发蛋白质变性的脱轨并导致心脏衰老。蛋白质质量控​​制的失败涉及伴侣分子的损伤，泛素-蛋白质体系统，自噬以及肌节蛋白和细胞骨架蛋白的丢失，所有这些都与诱导心肌细胞衰老有关。靶向蛋白质质量控​​制以维持心脏蛋白稳态提供了一种新颖的治疗策略，可促进心脏健康并对抗心脏病。当前市售的药物可用于在临床环境中探索这一概念。