Holistic approach for early sarcopenia diagnosis

A recent study from Van Long et al. demonstrates the potential of combining digital and chemical biomarkers as a strategy for early diagnosis of sarcopenia. Using young (6 months) and old (20 months) mice, they show that surface electromyography of the tibialis anterior can differentiate young vs. old muscle. In the same mice cohort, muscle-specific protein levels (MuRF1, FoxO1 and perilipin2), inflammatory cytokines in muscle and plasma (TNFa, IL-6, IL-8), as well as hormonal (cortisol, DHEA and cathepsin D) and neuronal (acetylcholine, serotonin and histamin) plasma markers were differentially expressed in young vs. old mice. Although they did not combine the digital and chemical biomarkers in one model, this study is an impetus for a holistic biomarker approach for early sarcopenia detection. Read this publication