Muscle biopsy as a tool in the study of aging

The needle biopsy procedure provides a minimally invasive means of obtaining small samples of skeletal muscle from human volunteers. Such samples can be used to examine a variety of structural and functional characteristics of muscle, including fiber type and size, capillarization, enzymatic capacities, energy substrate or protein/mRNA concentrations, metabolic responses, and contractile properties. In conjunction with other methods, biopsy sampling can also be used to estimate total muscle mass and fiber number, and to determine rates of protein synthesis and degradation. Optimal handling and storage conditions vary widely, but in general, most of the above measurements can be made using frozen tissue, so that samples can be stored almost indefinitely. The procedure is also safe and generally well-tolerated, making it possible to perform longitudinal studies of the same person. The biopsy technique is therefore well suited for examining the underlying physiological mechanisms responsible for muscle wasting in the elderly, as well as for assessing the effects of nutritional, hormonal, and/or lifestyle (e.g., exercise) interventions intended to combat this problem. Although sample size limitations have been largely overcome by the development of microtechniques, more information is needed on how to minimize the variability introduced by studying only a small fraction of the whole muscle. Studies are also required to determine whether it is sufficient to biopsy only one muscle (and if so, which is optimal), or whether there are differential effects of aging in various muscle groups that would preclude extrapolating from one muscle to all muscles in the body.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)