Abstract
It has been proposed that during aging there is a progressive accumulation of insoluble cross-linked protein, which impedes cellular function by excluding macromolecular colloids (e.g., chromosomes and transport vesicles) from part of the water volume. The exponential increase with age in mortality rate, according to the Gompertz law, is correlated with the logarithmic decrease in water volume available to a colloid in a polymer network, according to the Ogston-Laurent equation. The Gompertz slope is proposed to be a measure of the rate of insoluble protein accumulation. According to this model, aging is retarded and life span prolonged by impeding the accumulation of the insoluble protein.
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