Fougere Bertrand, van Kan Gabor Abellan, Vellas Bruno, Cesari Matteo
Gerontopole, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Toulouse, Toulouse, France.
Inserm UMR1027, Université de Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France.
Curr Protein Pept Sci. 2018;19(7):643-648. doi: 10.2174/1389203718666170317120040.
According to the free-radical theory of aging, oxidative stress is a key contributor to the onset of age-related conditions by inducing structural and functional alterations in several cellular components. Although innate defenses exist for limiting the occurrence of such detrimental effects, their ability to counteract the continuous and large production of reactive oxygen species becomes increasingly inefficient with aging. In this context, interventions aimed at preserving the homeostatic balance between oxidant production and antioxidant protection may be beneficial on the pathophysiological modifications and clinical manifestations featuring the aging process. Sarcopenia is a clinical condition defined as the progressive age-related loss of muscle mass and function. In particular, a reduction of motor units and wasting of muscle fibers occurs during the aging process and negatively affects muscle quality. The biological mechanisms responsible for sarcopenia are complex, multifactorial and closely related to those characterizing the aging process. Among these, a pronounced unbalance between pro-oxidant and antioxidant species may play a major role. This review paper presents and discusses the possible role of the oxidant/antioxidant systems in the determination and development of the sarcopenic phenotype. Special attention will be devoted to the contribution of antioxidant agents in the maintenance of the homeostatic equilibrium for the organismal protection against the onset of age-related conditions. However, despite their popularity as beneficial compounds, there is no clear evidence in the literature about the protective effect of antioxidant supplements usage. Therefore, further research is needed to address and clarify such ambiguity.
根据衰老的自由基理论，氧化应激通过诱导多种细胞成分的结构和功能改变，成为与年龄相关疾病发生的关键因素。尽管机体存在先天性防御机制来限制此类有害影响的发生，但随着年龄的增长，它们对抗活性氧持续大量产生的能力变得越来越低效。在这种情况下，旨在维持氧化剂产生与抗氧化保护之间稳态平衡的干预措施，可能对衰老过程中的病理生理改变和临床表现有益。肌肉减少症是一种临床病症，定义为与年龄相关的肌肉质量和功能的渐进性丧失。特别是，在衰老过程中运动单位减少和肌肉纤维萎缩会发生，并且会对肌肉质量产生负面影响。导致肌肉减少症的生物学机制复杂、多因素，且与衰老过程的特征密切相关。其中，促氧化剂和抗氧化剂之间明显的失衡可能起主要作用。本文综述并讨论了氧化/抗氧化系统在肌肉减少症表型的确定和发展中的可能作用。将特别关注抗氧化剂在维持机体稳态平衡以预防与年龄相关疾病发生方面的贡献。然而，尽管抗氧化剂作为有益化合物广受欢迎，但文献中尚无明确证据表明使用抗氧化补充剂具有保护作用。因此，需要进一步研究来解决和澄清这种模糊性。
