Barber Laura, Scicchitano Bianca Maria, Musaro Antonio
Institute Pasteur Cenci-Bolognetti, DAHFMO-unit of Histology and Medical Embryology, IIM, Sapienza University of Rome , Italy.
Institute of Histology and Embryology, Catholic University School of Medicine , Rome, Italy.
Eur J Transl Myol. 2015 Aug 25;25(4):231-6. doi: 10.4081/ejtm.2015.5227. eCollection 2015 Aug 24.
The prolongation of skeletal muscle strength in aging and neuromuscular disease has been the objective of numerous studies employing a variety of approaches. It is generally accepted that cumulative failure to repair damage related to an overall decrease in anabolic processes is a primary cause of functional impairment in muscle. The functional performance of skeletal muscle tissues declines during post- natal life and it is compromised in different diseases, due to an alteration in muscle fiber composition and an overall decrease in muscle integrity as fibrotic invasions replace functional contractile tissue. Characteristics of skeletal muscle aging and diseases include a conspicuous reduction in myofiber plasticity (due to the progressive loss of muscle mass and in particular of the most powerful fast fibers), alteration in muscle-specific transcriptional mechanisms, and muscle atrophy. An early decrease in protein synthetic rates is followed by a later increase in protein degradation, to affect biochemical, physiological, and morphological parameters of muscle fibers during the aging process. Alterations in regenerative pathways also compromise the functionality of muscle tissues. In this review we will give an overview of the work on molecular and cellular mechanisms of aging and sarcopenia and the effects of electrical stimulation in seniors..
在衰老和神经肌肉疾病中延长骨骼肌力量一直是众多采用各种方法进行研究的目标。人们普遍认为，与合成代谢过程总体下降相关的损伤修复累积失败是肌肉功能受损的主要原因。骨骼肌组织的功能在出生后会下降，并且在不同疾病中会受到损害，这是由于肌肉纤维组成的改变以及随着纤维化侵袭取代功能性收缩组织而导致的肌肉完整性总体下降。骨骼肌衰老和疾病的特征包括肌纤维可塑性显著降低（由于肌肉质量逐渐丧失，尤其是最强大的快肌纤维）、肌肉特异性转录机制改变以及肌肉萎缩。蛋白质合成率早期下降之后是蛋白质降解后期增加，从而在衰老过程中影响肌纤维的生化、生理和形态学参数。再生途径的改变也会损害肌肉组织的功能。在这篇综述中，我们将概述关于衰老和肌肉减少症的分子和细胞机制以及电刺激对老年人影响的研究工作。
