Vascular aging biomarkers: the role of ADMA, SDMA, and inflammation
- 1Russian Gerontological Research and Clinical Center
- 2Department of Neurology, Shenzhen Institute of Translational Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen Second People’s Hospital
Abstract
Cardiovascular risk assessment based on traditional risk factors may not fully capture subclinical vascular injury and vascular aging, supporting interest in biomarkers reflecting underlying vascular mechanisms. Endothelial dysfunction, altered methylarginine metabolism, and chronic low-grade inflammation represent interconnected processes that may contribute to vascular aging. This narrative review summarizes evidence on the associations of asymmetric dimethylarginine, symmetric dimethylarginine, interleukin-6, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein with subclinical atherosclerosis and vascular aging. PubMed and Google Scholar were searched between January and August 2026, with priority given to studies evaluating associations of these biomarkers with subclinical vascular changes, vascular aging, and cardiovascular outcomes. ADMA shows the most consistent associations with subclinical atherosclerosis, although these vary across arterial territories and vascular measures. Evidence for SDMA in early vascular disease is more limited, and interpretation is complicated by its dependence on renal function, although some associations persist after adjustment for renal function. IL-6 has biological and genetic evidence supporting a role in atherogenesis, but its associations with subclinical atherosclerosis are not consistently independent of traditional cardiovascular risk factors. hsCRP is an established cardiovascular risk marker and has also been associated with progression of carotid stenosis and arterial stiffness. Differences in vascular endpoints, study populations, confounder adjustment, and analytical methods contribute to heterogeneity across studies. Overall, these biomarkers appear to reflect partly distinct but interconnected components of vascular aging. Their potential relevance may lie in their complementarity; however, current evidence does not establish that combined assessment improves evaluation beyond conventional approaches. Prospective studies should determine whether their combined assessment improves identification of accelerated vascular aging beyond conventional risk assessment.
Related
- Associations of a nutrition–inflammation index and vascular aging with mortality in adults with diabetes or prediabetes and cardiovascular disease
- Vascular Aging and Bladder Health: Associations Between Peripheral Arterial Disease and Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms in Mid-Life Women from CARDIA-PLUS
- An open competition for biomarkers of aging
- Inflammation-Related Biomarkers Linking Environmental Chemical Mixtures and Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease: A Population-Based Study from NHANES 1999-2020
- Integration of neuroimaging signatures of aging and Alzheimer's with fluid biomarkers
BibTeX
@article{melnitskaia2026vascular,
title = {{Vascular aging biomarkers: the role of ADMA, SDMA, and inflammation}},
author = {Aleksandra Melnitskaia and Liubov Machekhina and Valentina Pykhtina and Alexey Churov and Olga Maltseva and Wu Zhenghi and Olga Tkacheva and Irina Strazhesko},
journal = {Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fcvm.2026.1922813},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcvm.2026.1922813/full},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Vascular aging biomarkers: the role of ADMA, SDMA, and inflammation
AU - Aleksandra Melnitskaia
AU - Liubov Machekhina
AU - Valentina Pykhtina
AU - Alexey Churov
AU - Olga Maltseva
AU - Wu Zhenghi
AU - Olga Tkacheva
AU - Irina Strazhesko
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/08
JO - Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine
DO - 10.3389/fcvm.2026.1922813
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcvm.2026.1922813/full
AB - Cardiovascular risk assessment based on traditional risk factors may not fully capture subclinical vascular injury and vascular aging, supporting interest in biomarkers reflecting underlying vascular mechanisms. Endothelial dysfunction, altered methylarginine metabolism, and chronic low-grade inflammation represent interconnected processes that may contribute to vascular aging. This narrative review summarizes evidence on the associations of asymmetric dimethylarginine, symmetric dimethylarginine, interleukin-6, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein with subclinical atherosclerosis and vascular aging. PubMed and Google Scholar were searched between January and August 2026, with priority given to studies evaluating associations of these biomarkers with subclinical vascular changes, vascular aging, and cardiovascular outcomes. ADMA shows the most consistent associations with subclinical atherosclerosis, although these vary across arterial territories and vascular measures. Evidence for SDMA in early vascular disease is more limited, and interpretation is complicated by its dependence on renal function, although some associations persist after adjustment for renal function. IL-6 has biological and genetic evidence supporting a role in atherogenesis, but its associations with subclinical atherosclerosis are not consistently independent of traditional cardiovascular risk factors. hsCRP is an established cardiovascular risk marker and has also been associated with progression of carotid stenosis and arterial stiffness. Differences in vascular endpoints, study populations, confounder adjustment, and analytical methods contribute to heterogeneity across studies. Overall, these biomarkers appear to reflect partly distinct but interconnected components of vascular aging. Their potential relevance may lie in their complementarity; however, current evidence does not establish that combined assessment improves evaluation beyond conventional approaches. Prospective studies should determine whether their combined assessment improves identification of accelerated vascular aging beyond conventional risk assessment.
SN - 2297-055X
ER -