Elastin production significantly slows down after adolescence, effectively meaning it decreases after this period. While existing elastin has a very long half-life, the body's ability to create new elastin diminishes considerably after puberty.
Elastin is a crucial protein that provides elasticity to tissues like skin, blood vessels, and lungs. It's formed during development through the crosslinking of tropoelastin monomers, a process catalyzed by lysyl oxidase. After reaching skeletal maturity and reproductive capability (i.e., adolescence), the production of new elastin tapers off.
Here's a more detailed breakdown:
- Early Development: Elastin production is high during fetal development and childhood.
- Adolescence: Production continues but begins to slow as the body matures.
- Adulthood: Elastin synthesis is minimal. The existing elastin network is maintained, but very little new elastin is created. Its half-life is approximately 74 years under normal conditions. This means it takes 74 years for half of the elastin to degrade naturally.
- Aging: As elastin degrades and is not efficiently replaced, tissues lose elasticity, contributing to wrinkles, sagging skin, and decreased function of organs like the lungs and blood vessels.
Factors that can accelerate elastin breakdown include:
- UV exposure: Sunlight damages elastin fibers.
- Smoking: Chemicals in cigarette smoke degrade elastin.
- Inflammation: Chronic inflammation can break down elastin.
Therefore, while elastin doesn't suddenly disappear at a specific age, its production significantly decreases after adolescence, and the effects of its gradual degradation become more noticeable with age.
