The carotid plaque as paradigmatic case of site-specific acceleration of agingprocess: The microRNAs and the inflammaging contribution

Atherosclerosis is considered a chronic inflammatory disease of arteries associated with the aging process. Manyrisk factors have been identified and they are mainly related to life-styles, gene-environment interactions andsocioeconomic status. Carotid and coronary artery diseases are the two major atherosclerotic conditions, beingthe primary cause of stroke and heart attack, respectively. Nevertheless, carotid plaque assumes particular as-pects not only for the specific molecular mechanisms, but also for the types of atheroma which may be associatedwith a better or a worst prognosis. The identification of circulating blood biomarkers able to distinguish carotidplaque types (stable or vulnerable) is a crucial step for the improvement of adequate therapeutic approachesavoiding or delaying endarterectomy in the oldest old individuals (> 80 years), a population predicted togrowth in the next years. The review highlights the most recent knowledge on carotid plaque molecular me-chanisms, focusing on microRNAs (miRs), as a site-specific accelerated aging within the conceptual frameworkof Geroscience for new affordable therapies