International Journal of Molecular Sciences Review Glycosylation Biomarkers Associated with Age-Related Diseases and Current Methods for Glycan Analysis Beatrix Paton 1, Manuel Suarez 2,* , Pol Herrero 1,* and Núria Canela 1 1 Eurecat, Centre Tecnològic de Catalunya, Centre for Omic Sciences, Joint Unit Eurecat-Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Unique Scientific and Technical Infrastructure (ICTS), 43204 Reus, Spain;
[email protected] (B.P.);
[email protected] (N.C.) 2 Nutrigenomics Research Group, Departament de Bioquímica i Biotecnologia, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 43007 Tarragona, Spain * Correspondence:
[email protected] (M.S.);
[email protected] (P.H.) Abstract: Ageing is a complex process which implies the accumulation of molecular, cellular and organ damage, leading to an increased vulnerability to disease. In Western societies, the increase in the elderly population, which is accompanied by ageing-associated pathologies such as cardiovascular and mental diseases, is becoming an increasing economic and social burden for governments. In order to prevent, treat and determine which subjects are more likely to develop these age-related diseases, predictive biomarkers are required. In this sense, some studies suggest that glycans have a potential role as disease biomarkers, as they modify the functions of proteins and take part in intra- and intercellular biological processes. As the glycome reflects the real-time status of these interactions, its characterisation can provide potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for multifactorial diseases. This review gathers the alterations in protein glycosylation profiles that are Citation: Paton, B.; Suarez, M.; Herrero, P.; Canela, N. Glycosylation associated with ageing and age-related diseases, such as cancer, type 2 diabetes mellitus, metabolic Biomarkers Associated with syndrome and several chronic inflammatory diseases.