Britannica Sources used in this answer

What are age pigments and where do they accumulate in the body?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

primates — aging Primates are among the longest-lived groups of mammals.

Age pigments, most notably lipofuscin, are inert and potentially deleterious materials that accumulate within and between cells as a result of the aging process.1

While these pigments are generally not detectable at a young age, they increase over time, eventually occupying a small percentage of cell volume by old age. Lipofuscin specifically accumulates within the cells of the following areas:1

Heart1
Brain1
Eye1
Other tissues1

The accumulation of such pigments is considered a significant morphological change associated with senescence in mammals.1