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Sarcopenia: a histological and immunohistochemical study on age-related muscle impairment

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Abstract

Background

Sarcopenia and osteoporosis increase the risk of bone fracture in the elderly due to the loss of muscle mass and the decrease in bone mineral density. Myostatin and Bone Morphogenetic Proteins (BMPs) are important molecules involved in muscle mass homeostasis.

Aim

In this study, we investigated the role of BMP4 and myostatin in the pathophysiogenesis of sarcopenia related to osteoporosis and osteoarthritis.

Methods

Muscle atrophy, BMP4 and myostatin expression were evaluated in 27 biopsies of osteoarthritic (OA) women and 27 biopsies from osteoporotic (OP) group by immunohistochemical reaction. Muscle stem cell niches were investigated by transmission electron microscopy analysis.

Results

Myostatin and BMP4 expression was evaluated by counting the number of positive fibers on 25 high-power field. We found that OA muscle biopsies showed a significantly higher number of BMP4-positive fibers (37.35 ± 5.63) as compared with muscle of OP patients (9.60 ± 1.57). Unlike BMP4 expression, the number of myostatin-positive fibers in OP patients (33.95 ± 4.10) was significantly higher compared to OA group (13.86 ± 1.68). The ultrastructural analysis of BMP4-positive tissues displayed the presence of a high rate of satellite cells both single or as syncytium giving proof of muscle regeneration capability.

Discussion

Our results indicated that sarcopenia and osteoporosis shared an impairment of metabolic activity. Conversely, the molecular mechanisms of OA seem to inhibit the onset of an age-related sarcopenia.

Conclusion

The characterization of molecular mechanisms underlying the bone–muscle crosstalk could open new therapeutic perspectives in elderly diseases.

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Acknowledgments

Authors acknowledge A. S. I. (Italian Space Agency) and University of Rome “Tor Vergata” (Spatial Biomedicine Center) for funding this study. It was very important to take advantage of the funds made available by the A. S. I. because it encourages our present and further research within the project titled “Multidisciplinary study of the effects of microgravity on bone cells” call number search DC-DTE-2011-033.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, University Hospital Foundation Policlinico Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier, 1, 00133, Rome, Italy

    Umberto Tarantino, Eleonora Piccirilli, Jacopo Baldi & Elena Gasbarra

  2. Anatomic Pathology Section, Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Via Montpellier 1, 00133, Rome, Italy

    Manuel Scimeca

  3. Italian Space Agency (ASI), Spatial Biomedicine Center, Via del Politecnico snc, 00133, Rome, Italy

    Manuel Scimeca & Elena Bonanno

  4. Department of Systems Medicine, School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Roma Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy

    Virginia Tancredi

Authors
  1. Umberto Tarantino
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  2. Manuel Scimeca
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  3. Eleonora Piccirilli
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  4. Virginia Tancredi
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  5. Jacopo Baldi
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  6. Elena Gasbarra
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  7. Elena Bonanno
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Manuel Scimeca.

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Conflict of interest

There are no potential conflicts of interest relating to the manuscript, and there were no extramural sources supporting this research. The study is original and the manuscript has not been published yet and is not being considered for publication elsewhere in any language either integrally or partially except as an abstract.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The approval reference number of the Ethical committee ‘Policlinico Tor Vergata’is #85/12.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Tarantino, U., Scimeca, M., Piccirilli, E. et al. Sarcopenia: a histological and immunohistochemical study on age-related muscle impairment. Aging Clin Exp Res 27 (Suppl 1), 51–60 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-015-0427-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-015-0427-z

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