The pathogenetic bases of sarcopenia

Abstract

Aging is accompanied by involuntary loss of skeletal muscle mass, strength and function, called sarcopenia. The mechanisms underlying the development of sarcopenia are not completely understood and most likely multi-factorial, but significant progress has been made over the past few years to identify some of the major contributors. Besides life style-related factors, as diet and physical activity, sarcopenia seems to be also determined by hormonal dysregulation, chronic inflammatory status, ectopic adipose tissue accumulation, neurological and vascular changes associated with aging. The present mini-review focused on the basic factors that primarily impact muscle homeostasis in older subjects. A better understanding of cellular mechanism leading to sarcopenia is required to establish evidence-based intervention in order to prevent onset of symptoms associated with sarcopenia and to extend the time free from disability in older adults.

Keywords: aging; chronic inflammation; muscle lipotoxicity; sarcopenia.

Figure 1

Main mechanisms involved in sarcopenia. The etiology of sarcopenia is multifactorial; the control of overall muscle mass is practically due to an imbalance between the rates of muscle protein synthesis and breakdown.