One of the key characteristics of aging is a progressive loss of physiological integrity, which weakens bodily functions and increases the risk of death. A robust biomarker is important for the assessment of biological age, the rate of aging, and a person's health status. DNA methylation clocks, novel biomarkers of aging, are composed of a group of cytosine-phosphate-guanine dinucleotides, the DNA methylation status of which can be used to accurately measure subjective age. These clocks are considered accurate biomarkers of chronological age for humans and other vertebrates. Numerous studies have demonstrated these clocks to quantify the rate of biological aging and the effects of longevity and anti-aging interventions. In this review, we describe the purpose and use of DNA methylation clocks in aging research.

衰老的关键特征之一是生理完整性的逐渐丧失，这会削弱身体功能并增加死亡风险。强大的生物标志物对于评估生物年龄、衰老速度和人的健康状况非常重要。DNA甲基化时钟是一种新型的衰老生物标志物，由一组胞嘧啶-磷酸-鸟嘌呤二核苷酸组成，其DNA甲基化状态可用于准确测量主观年龄。这些时钟被认为是人类和其他脊椎动物实足年龄的准确生物标志物。许多研究已经证明这些时钟可以量化生物衰老的速度以及长寿和抗衰老干预措施的效果。在这篇综述中，我们描述了 DNA 甲基化时钟在衰老研究中的目的和用途。