Health Conditions

Inflammation

The body's protective response to tissue injury or pathogen invasion, characterized by redness, heat, swelling, and pain. Chronic low-grade inflammation accelerates tissue aging and is a driver of multiple age-related diseases.

Inflammation is the immune system’s acute response to tissue injury, infection, or foreign material — characterized by the five cardinal signs: redness (rubor), heat (calor), swelling (tumor), pain (dolor), and loss of function (functio laesa).

Acute vs. Chronic Inflammation

Acute inflammation is adaptive: it delivers immune cells to sites of injury or infection, kills pathogens, removes cellular debris, and initiates repair. Resolution of acute inflammation is the normal, healthy outcome.

Chronic inflammation occurs when the inflammatory response persists beyond its useful phase — either because the trigger is not resolved (chronic infection, ongoing allergen exposure, autoimmune disease) or because the resolution mechanisms fail. Chronic low-grade inflammation drives progressive tissue damage.

Molecular Mediators

Key inflammatory mediators relevant to canine longevity:

  • Prostaglandins: produced via COX enzymes from arachidonic acid; drive pain, fever, and vascular permeability. Target of NSAIDs.
  • Cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α): signaling proteins released by immune cells; coordinate inflammatory response; chronically elevated in many age-related diseases
  • Leukotrienes: derived from arachidonic acid; important in allergic and respiratory inflammation
  • NF-κB pathway: master transcription factor regulating cytokine and inflammatory gene expression; a central target of many anti-inflammatory interventions

Inflammaging

“Inflammaging” — the chronic, low-grade sterile inflammation associated with aging — is increasingly recognized as a driver of multiple age-related conditions including: arthritis, cognitive dysfunction, kidney disease, cardiac disease, and cancer. Adipose tissue is a major source of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6) — explaining why obesity dramatically amplifies inflammaging.

Evidence-Based Anti-Inflammatory Strategies

  1. Omega-3 fatty acids: EPA and DHA shift arachidonic acid metabolism toward anti-inflammatory resolvins and protectins; reduce COX-2 expression
  2. Weight management: adipose tissue reduction decreases systemic inflammatory cytokine production
  3. Exercise: moderate exercise reduces systemic inflammatory markers; excessive or inadequate exercise both impair this benefit
  4. Gut microbiome: diverse, fiber-rich diet supports anti-inflammatory microbial metabolites (short-chain fatty acids)