Sarcopenic obesity: molecular clues to a better understanding of its pathogenesis?

Kob R, Bollheimer C, Bertsch T, Fellner C, Djukic M, Sieber C, Fischer B (2015)

Publication Status: Published

Publication Type: Journal article, Review article

Publication year: 2015

Journal

Publisher: Springer Verlag (Germany)

Book Volume: 16

Pages Range: 15-29

Journal Issue: 1

DOI: 10.1007/s10522-014-9539-7

Abstract

An age-dependent decline in skeletal muscle mass, strength, and endurance during the aging process is a physiological development, but several factors may exacerbate this process, leading to the threatening state of sarcopenia, frailty, and eventually higher mortality rates. Obesity appears to be such a promoting factor and has been linked in several studies to sarcopenia. The reason for this causal association remains poorly understood. Notwithstanding the fact that a higher body mass might simply lead to diminished physical activity and therefore contribute to a decline in skeletal muscle, several molecular mechanisms have been hypothesized. There could be an obesity derived intracellular lipotoxicity (i.e., elevated intramuscular levels of lipids and their derivatives), which induces apoptosis by means of an elevated oxidative stress. Paracrine mechanisms and inflammatory cytokines, such as CRP and IL-6 could be confounders of the actual underlying pathological mechanism. Due to a cross-talk of the hypothalamo-pituitary axis with nutritional status, obese subjects are more in a catabolic state of metabolism, with a higher susceptibility to muscle wasting under energy restriction. Obesity induces insulin resistance in the skeletal muscle, which consequently leads to perturbed metabolism, and misrouted signaling in the muscle cells. In obesity, muscle progenitor cells could differentiate to an adipocyte-like phenotype as a result of paracrine signals from (adipo)cytokines leading to a reduced muscular renewal capacity. The present review outlines current knowledge concerning possible pathways, which might be involved in the molecular pathogenesis of sarcopenic obesity.

Authors with CRIS profile

Involved external institutions

Universitätsklinikum Regensburg Germany (DE) Paracelsus Medizinische Privatuniversität Austria (AT) Evangelisches Krankenhaus Göttingen-Weende Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Kob, R., Bollheimer, C., Bertsch, T., Fellner, C., Djukic, M., Sieber, C., & Fischer, B. (2015). Sarcopenic obesity: molecular clues to a better understanding of its pathogenesis? Biogerontology, 16(1), 15-29. https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10522-014-9539-7

MLA:

Kob, Robert, et al. "Sarcopenic obesity: molecular clues to a better understanding of its pathogenesis?" Biogerontology 16.1 (2015): 15-29.

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