Mouse study: Long-Term Supplementation With a Cystine-Based Antioxidant Delays Loss of Muscle Mass in Aging

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23459206

J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2013 Mar 4. [Epub ahead of print]

Long-Term Supplementation With a Cystine-Based Antioxidant Delays Loss of Muscle Mass in Aging.

Sinha-Hikim I, Sinha-Hikim AP, Parveen M, Shen R, Goswami R, Tran P, Crum A, Norris KC.

Source

Internal Medicine, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, 1731 East 120th Street, Los Angeles, CA. indranisinhahikim@cdrewu.edu.

Abstract

Oxidative stress increases with age and is postulated to be a major causal factor for sarcopenia in aging. Here, we examined whether the administration of a cystine-based antioxidant (F1) can alleviate/delay age-specific changes in skeletal muscles. C57BL6 male mice aged 17 months (middle aged) were fed with normal diet with or without supplementation of F1 (3mg/kg food) for 6 months. Compared with young (5 months old) mice old mice exhibited increased markers of oxidative stress, inflammation, and muscle cell apoptosis and decreased muscle weight. These age-related changes were further associated with inactivation of adenosine-5'-monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), increased lipogenesis, activation of c-Jun NH₂-terminal kinase, and decreased expression of Delta 1, phospho-Akt, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen in aged skeletal muscle. Such alterations were significantly prevented by F1. These results demonstrate the beneficial effects of F1 to attenuate loss of muscle mass associated with aging.