Abstract
Background: Sarcopenia is a major health problem in older adults. Exercise and nutrient supplementation have been shown to be effective interventions but there are limited studies to investigate their effects on the management of sarcopenia and its possible underlying mechanisms. Here, we studied T cell gene expression responses to interventions in sarcopenia. Methods: The results of this study were part of a completed trial examining the effectiveness of a 12-week intervention with exercise and nutrition supplementation in community-dwelling Chinese older adults with sarcopenia, based on the available blood samples at baseline and 12 weeks from 46 randomized participants from three study groups, namely: exercise program alone (n = 11), combined-exercise program and nutrition supplement (n = 23), and waitlist control group (n = 12). T cell gene expression was evaluated, with emphasis on inflammation-related genes. Real-time PCR (RT-PCR) was performed on CD3 T cells in 38 selected genes. Correlation analysis was performed to relate the results of gene expression analysis with lower limb muscle strength performance, measured using leg extension tests. Results: Our results showed a significant improvement in leg extension for both the exercise program alone and the combined groups (p < 0.001). Nine genes showed significant pre- and post-difference in gene expression over 12 weeks of intervention in the combined group. Seven genes (RASGRP1, BIN1, LEF1, ANXA6, IL-7R, LRRN3, and PRKCQ) showed an interaction effect between intervention and gene expression levels on leg extension in the confirmatory analysis, with confounder variables controlled and FDR correction. Conclusions: Our findings showed that T cell-specific inflammatory gene expression was changed significantly after 12 weeks of intervention with combined exercise and HMB supplementation in sarcopenia, and that this was associated with lower limb muscle strength performance.
Highlights
Skeletal muscle comprises about 40% of the body’s mass
Among the thirty-eight genes we selected for this study, nine genes (PRKCQ, BIN1, ANXA6, MAF, LDHB, HINT1, SOD1, TOMM7, EIF3E) showed significant differences in gene expression between baseline and 12 weeks after combined exercise and nutrient supplement intervention (Figure 1) (Table 2) (Supplementary Table S1)
There was no significant difference in the gene expression of RASGRP1, BIN1, LEF1, ANXA6, IL-7R, LRRN3, and PRKCQ among the three groups at baseline
Summary
Skeletal muscle comprises about 40% of the body’s mass. Sarcopenia is the progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass and function, resulting from increased catabolism and decreased anabolism of skeletal muscle. Randomized controlled trials and review studies have both shown that exercise increases muscle mass and that this increase is greater when combined with nutrient supplementation [7,8,9]. Studies have shown that HMB is effective at improving lean muscle mass and preserving muscle strength in older adults [12]. A review study showed controversial results on the effectiveness of combining exercise and HMB for improving muscle strength and performance [7]. Our study examined the association between the expression of inflammation-related genes in CD3 T cells and the muscle strength outcome in a sub-sample of older adults with sarcopenia who participated in a randomized controlled trial in order to examine the effectiveness of an intervention with exercise and nutrition supplementation (vitamin D, omega 3 fatty acid, and HMB) for the management of sarcopenia
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