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Review
. 2022 Oct 25;11(21):3361.
doi: 10.3390/cells11213361.

The Role of Crosstalk between Adipose Cells and Myocytes in the Pathogenesis of Sarcopenic Obesity in the Elderly

Mauro Zamboni  1 , Gloria Mazzali  2 , Anna Brunelli  1 , Tanaz Saatchi  1 , Silvia Urbani  1 , Anna Giani  1 , Andrea P Rossi  3 , Elena Zoico  2 , Francesco Fantin  2
Affiliations
Review

The Role of Crosstalk between Adipose Cells and Myocytes in the Pathogenesis of Sarcopenic Obesity in the Elderly

Mauro Zamboni et al. Cells. .

Abstract

As a result of aging, body composition changes, with a decline in muscle mass and an increase in adipose tissue (AT), which reallocates from subcutaneous to visceral depots and stores ectopically in the liver, heart and muscles. Furthermore, with aging, muscle and AT, both of which have recognized endocrine activity, become dysfunctional and contribute, in the case of positive energy balance, to the development of sarcopenic obesity (SO). SO is defined as the co-existence of excess adiposity and low muscle mass and function, and its prevalence increases with age. SO is strongly associated with greater morbidity and mortality. The pathogenesis of SO is complex and multifactorial. This review focuses mainly on the role of crosstalk between age-related dysfunctional adipose and muscle cells as one of the mechanisms leading to SO. A better understanding of this mechanisms may be useful for development of prevention strategies and treatments aimed at reducing the occurrence of SO.

Keywords: adipokines; adipose tissue; myokines; sarcopenic obesity; skeletal muscle.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Main consequences of sarcopenic obesity in the elderly. CVD, cardiovascular disease.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Pathogenesis of sarcopenic obesity in the elderly, with a focus on muscle and adipose tissue crosstalk. More relevant links in bold. FFA, free fatty acids; TNF-alpha, tumor necrosis factor-alpha; IL-6, Interleukin-6; MCP-1, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1; UCP-1, uncoupling protein 1.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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