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Assessing Iron Deposition in the Brains of 5xFAD Mice by Perls'/DAB Staining
Published on: May 23, 2025
Iron accumulation with age, oxidative stress and functional decline
Jinze Xu1, Mitchell D Knutson, Christy S Carter
1Department of Aging and Geriatrics, Division of Biology of Aging, Genomics and Biomarkers Core of The Institute on Aging, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America.
Plos One
|August 7, 2008
Summary
Age-related iron accumulation in muscle contributes to sarcopenia and oxidative damage. Calorie restriction (CR) effectively attenuated these negative effects, suggesting a therapeutic target for age-related muscle loss.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology and Muscle Physiology
- Nutritional Biochemistry and Oxidative Stress
Background:
- Sarcopenia, age-related muscle loss, requires identification of biological mediators for targeted interventions.
- Iron is a pro-oxidant, and its accumulation with age is known in organs, but its role in muscle senescence and function is unclear.
- The impact of interventions like calorie restriction (CR) on age-related muscle iron accumulation is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between non-heme iron concentration, oxidative stress, and sarcopenia indices in aging rat muscle.
- To determine if calorie restriction (CR) attenuates age-related iron accumulation and associated muscle dysfunction.
Main Methods:
- Male Fischer 344 X Brown Norway rats were fed ad libitum (AL) or a calorie restricted (CR) diet (60% AL intake) from 4 months of age.
- Measurements of non-heme iron, oxidized RNA, muscle mass, and grip strength were taken at 8, 18, 29, and 37 months of age.
- Gastrocnemius muscle was analyzed for iron concentration and nucleic acid oxidative damage.
Main Results:
- Non-heme iron levels in the gastrocnemius muscle of AL rats increased progressively with age, with a ~200% rise between 29 and 37 months.
- Oxidized RNA levels in the muscle of AL rats significantly increased with age, correlating with iron accumulation.
- CR significantly attenuated the age-associated increases in non-heme iron and oxidized RNA, and preserved muscle mass and grip strength.
Conclusions:
- Age-related iron accumulation in skeletal muscle contributes to oxidative damage and sarcopenia.
- Calorie restriction effectively mitigates muscle iron accumulation and oxidative stress during aging.
- Targeting iron metabolism in muscle may be a viable strategy to combat age-related muscle decline.
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