A Finding Useful for Anti-aging Drug Development
The Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology announced on Dec. 22 that its research team led by Dr. Kwon Ki-seon confirmed a correlation between senile sarcopenia and a decrease in muscle cell membrane fluidity.
At present, senile sarcopenia is regarded as being due to various interrelated factors, including aging-related inflammation, hormone imbalance and nutritional deficiency, and yet the clear cause of the ailment is yet to be clarified.
By lipid analysis in aged muscles, the research team found that aging results in an increase in FABP3 protein in the human body. This increase affects saturated fatty acid, which is a cell membrane component, to lower the fluidity of the cell membrane. Then, organs in cells in charge of muscle protein generation are affected and muscle generation slows down. The team also confirmed that FABP3 reduction in laboratory rats led to increased membrane fluidity, muscle mass and muscular strength.
“We found that a change in gene expression attributable to aging results in a chemical change in muscle cell lipid and a physical change in cell membrane fluidity,” the team explained, adding, “The outcome of our research will be useful for anti-aging drug development.”