Skeletal muscle as potential central link between sarcopenia and immune senescence - PubMed (original) (raw)

Review

Christopher Nelke et al. EBioMedicine. 2019 Nov.

Abstract

As our population grows older, age-related pathologies are becoming more prevalent. Deterioration of skeletal muscle and the immune system manifests as sarcopenia and immune senescence respectively. The disease burden of these pathologies emphasizes the need for a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms. Skeletal muscle has emerged as a potent regulator of immune system function. As such, skeletal muscle might be the central integrator between sarcopenia and immune senescence in an aging biological system. Therapeutic approaches targeting skeletal muscle might be able to restore both muscle and immune system function. In this review, we therefore outline the current - however still fragmentary - knowledge about the potential communication pathways of muscle and immune system, how they are affected by aging of skeletal muscle and discuss possible treatment strategies. The review intends to be hypothesis-generating and should thereby stimulate further research in this important scientific field.

Keywords: IL-15; IL-6, IL-7; Immune senescence; Myokines; Sarcopenia; Skeletal muscle.

Copyright © 2019 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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Conflict of interest statement

Dr. Nelke has nothing to disclose. Dr. Dziewas has nothing to disclose. Dr. Minnerup has nothing to disclose. Dr. Meuth has nothing to disclose. Dr. Ruck reports grants from German Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Technology, grants from Else-Kröner-Fresenius Stiftung, grants from German Research Foundation during the conduct of the study.

Figures

Fig. 1:

Fig. 1

Aging of skeletal muscle is central in the pathogenesis of immune senescence and sarcopenia. Multiple pathways are affected, including insufficient myokine signalling (IL-6, IL-7, IL-15), shifting of membrane bound immune regulatory factors towards a pro-inflammatory profile, impaired immune cell function and altered body composition.

Fig. 2:

Fig. 2

Aging tips the scales of IL-6 signalling. Chronic exposure to IL-6 and the concomitant release of pro-inflammatory cytokines promote pro-inflammatory effects and muscle catabolism due to IL-6 signalling. The pulsatile release of IL-6 in response to exercise is impaired in sarcopenia resulting in reduced anti-inflammatory effects and impaired muscle anabolism mediated by IL-6. The biological effect of IL-6 is mediated both by canonical and by trans-signalling.

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