Growth hormone replacement therapy prevents sarcopenia by a dual mechanism: improvement of protein balance and of antioxidant defenses.
The aim of our study was to elucidate the role of growth hormone (GH) replacement therapy in three of the main mechanisms involved in sarcopenia: alterations in mitochondrial biogenesis, increase in oxidative stress, and alterations in protein balance. We used young and old Wistar rats that received either placebo or low doses of GH to reach normal insulin-like growth factor-1 values observed in the young group. We found an increase in lean body mass and plasma and hepatic insulin-like growth factor-1 levels in the old animals treated with GH. We also found a lowering of age-associated oxidative damage and an induction of antioxidant enzymes in the skeletal muscle of the treated animals. GH replacement therapy resulted in an increase in the skeletal muscle protein synthesis and mitochondrial biogenesis pathways. This was paralleled by a lowering of inhibitory factors in skeletal muscle regeneration and in protein degradation. GH replacement therapy prevents sarcopenia by acting as a double-edged sword, antioxidant and hypertrophic.
['Brioche|T|T|', 'Kireev|R A|RA|', 'Cuesta|S|S|', 'Gratas-Delamarche|A|A|', 'Tresguerres|J A|JA|', 'Gomez-Cabrera|M C|MC|', 'Viña|J|J|']
D000375:Aging D000818:Animals D000975:Antioxidants D001823:Body Composition D013006:Growth Hormone D020249:Hormone Replacement Therapy D008297:Male D008931:Mitochondria, Muscle D018482:Muscle, Skeletal D011506:Proteins D051381:Rats D017208:Rats, Wistar D055948:Sarcopenia
Mitochondrial biogenesis IGF-1. Myostatin p70S6K