Supporting Evidence for Inactivity and Chronic Inflammation to be Important in Muscle Aging
It is well known that muscle function can be sustained into late life to a greater degree with proper exercise. The loss of strength and muscle mass associated with aging is often a result of inactivity and chronic inflammation. Researchers have conducted a study to analyze gene expression changes in muscle tissue with aging, exercise, and inflammation. Interestingly, the study shows that exercise and inflammation have a greater impact on gene expression in muscle tissue compared to chronological age.
Evaluation of the influence of primary and secondary aging on the manifestation of molecular and cellular hallmarks of aging is a challenging and unresolved issue. Our study delves into the distinct role of primary aging and chronic inflammation/physical inactivity as the key drivers of secondary aging in the regulation of transcriptomic and proteomic profiles in human skeletal muscle. The study included young healthy individuals, as well as younger and older patients with knee/hip osteoarthritis to study the effects of long-term inactivity and chronic inflammation on muscle tissue.
The research revealed significant age-related changes in gene expression related to physical inactivity and inflammation, rather than primary aging. Primary aging mainly affected genes regulating nuclear and mitochondrial proteins, as well as proteostasis. The study also found that proteins associated with aging were regulated at the post-transcriptional level. This study sheds light on the importance of exercise and inflammation in muscle aging.
Link: Read the full study here
