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Environmental Enrichment Improves Motor Function and Muscle Transcriptome of Aged Mice
Wei Huang1,2, Rhiannon Bates2, Xunchang Zou1,2
1Department of Cancer Biology & Genetics, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA.
Advanced Biology
|July 30, 2023
Summary
Environmental enrichment (EE) can improve muscle strength and motor function in aging mice. This intervention preserves mitochondrial function and downregulates stress pathways, potentially extending health span.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology and Muscle Physiology
- Neuroscience and Metabolism
Background:
- Aging is characterized by a progressive decline in muscle strength and physical function.
- Environmental enrichment (EE), mimicking an active lifestyle, has shown lifespan and metabolic benefits in mice.
- The impact of EE on skeletal muscle during aging remains largely unexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of EE on motor function, neuromuscular physiology, and skeletal muscle gene expression in aged mice.
- To determine if late-life EE can mitigate age-related muscle decline.
Main Methods:
- Twenty-month-old mice were subjected to a five-month environmental enrichment (EE) protocol.
- Evaluated motor function, hindlimb grip strength, and relative lean mass.
- Performed transcriptomic profiling of skeletal muscle tissue.
Main Results:
- EE mice showed increased relative lean mass, improved mobility, and enhanced hindlimb grip strength.
- Muscle transcriptomics revealed upregulated genes in oxidative phosphorylation and TCA cycle pathways, including mitochondrial electron transport chain components.
- EE led to downregulation of stress-responsive signaling pathways.
Conclusions:
- Environmental enrichment initiated late in life can improve motor function and preserve skeletal muscle characteristics in aging mice.
- EE's benefits may be mediated by enhanced mitochondrial function and reduced stress responses.
- EE represents a potential intervention strategy to maintain physical function and health span during aging.
