端粒磨损是指随着每次细胞分裂和年龄增长，端粒（染色体末端的保护性 DNA-蛋白质结构）逐渐缩短的过程。这一衰老标志充当了细胞的“衰老时钟”，在限制细胞寿命和导致与年龄相关的组织功能障碍方面发挥着至关重要的作用。
端粒是由以下部分组成的特殊核蛋白结构：
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衰老标志系列的一部分