Yoon Ye Eun, Ju Seong Hun, Kim Yebean, Lee Sung-Joon
Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Biotechnology, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea.
Interdisciplinary Program in Precision Public Health, BK21 Four Institute of Precision Public Health, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea.
Int J Mol Sci. 2025 Aug 1;26(15):7458. doi: 10.3390/ijms26157458.
Sarcopenia, characterized by progressive skeletal muscle loss and functional decline, represents a major public heath challenge in aging populations. Despite increasing awareness, current management strategies-primarily resistance exercise and nutritional support-remain limited by accessibility, adherence, and inconsistent outcomes. This underscores the urgent need for novel, effective, and scalable therapeutics. Flavonoids, a diverse class of plant-derived polyphenolic compounds, have attracted attention for their muti-targeted biological activities, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, metabolic, and myogenic effects. This review aims to evaluate the anti-sarcopenic potential of selected flavonoids-quercetin, rutin, kaempferol glycosides, baicalin, genkwanin, isoschaftoside, naringin, eriocitrin, and puerarin-based on recent preclinical findings and mechanistic insights. These compounds modulate key pathways involved in muscle homeostasis, such as NF-κB and Nrf2 signaling, AMPK and PI3K/Akt activation, mitochondrial biogenesis, proteosomal degradation, and satellite cell function. Importantly, since muscle wasting also features prominently in cancer cachexia-a distinct but overlapping syndrome-understanding flavonoid action may offer broader therapeutic relevance. By targeting shared molecular axes, flavonoids may provide a promising, biologically grounded approach to mitigating sarcopenia and the related muscle-wasting conditions. Further translational studies and clinical trials are warranted to assess their efficacy and safety in human populations.
肌肉减少症以骨骼肌进行性流失和功能衰退为特征，是老年人群面临的一项重大公共卫生挑战。尽管人们的认识不断提高，但目前的管理策略——主要是抗阻运动和营养支持——仍受到可及性、依从性和结果不一致的限制。这凸显了对新型、有效且可扩展的治疗方法的迫切需求。黄酮类化合物是一类多样的植物源多酚化合物，因其多靶点生物活性而受到关注，这些活性包括抗炎、抗氧化、代谢和生肌作用。本综述旨在根据最近的临床前研究结果和机制见解，评估选定的黄酮类化合物——槲皮素、芦丁、山奈酚糖苷、黄芩苷、芫花素、异荭草苷、柚皮苷、橙皮苷和葛根素——的抗肌肉减少症潜力。这些化合物调节参与肌肉稳态的关键途径，如NF-κB和Nrf2信号传导、AMPK和PI3K/Akt激活、线粒体生物发生、蛋白酶体降解以及卫星细胞功能。重要的是，由于肌肉萎缩在癌症恶病质（一种独特但重叠的综合征）中也很突出，了解黄酮类化合物的作用可能具有更广泛的治疗意义。通过靶向共同的分子轴，黄酮类化合物可能为减轻肌肉减少症及相关肌肉萎缩状况提供一种有前景的、基于生物学的方法。有必要进行进一步的转化研究和临床试验，以评估它们在人群中的疗效和安全性。
