The role and therapeutic potential of stem cells in skeletal muscle in sarcopenia

Zijun Cai,Xiuhua Wang,Wenfeng Xiao,Dengjie Yu,Yusheng Li,Wenqing Xie,Yuxiang Wu,Miao He,Di Liu,Yuntao Yang

doi:10.1186/s13287-022-02706-5

Abstract

Sarcopenia is a common age-related skeletal muscle disorder featuring the loss of muscle mass and function. In regard to tissue repair in the human body, scientists always consider the use of stem cells. In skeletal muscle, satellite cells (SCs) are adult stem cells that maintain tissue homeostasis and repair damaged regions after injury to preserve skeletal muscle integrity. Muscle-derived stem cells (MDSCs) and SCs are the two most commonly studied stem cell populations from skeletal muscle. To date, considerable progress has been achieved in understanding the complex associations between stem cells in muscle and the occurrence and treatment of sarcopenia. In this review, we first give brief introductions to sarcopenia, SCs and MDSCs. Then, we attempt to untangle the differences and connections between these two types of stem cells and further elaborate on the interactions between sarcopenia and stem cells. Finally, our perspectives on the possible application of stem cells for the treatment of sarcopenia in future are presented. Several studies emerging in recent years have shown that changes in the number and function of stem cells can trigger sarcopenia, which in turn leads to adverse influences on stem cells because of the altered internal environment in muscle. A better understanding of the role of stem cells in muscle, especially SCs and MDSCs, in sarcopenia will facilitate the realization of novel therapy approaches based on stem cells to combat sarcopenia.

Highlights

Sarcopenia is a common age-related skeletal muscle disorder featuring the loss of muscle mass and function
Lv et al [11] characterized a novel functional lncRNA designated lncMGPF and reported their new findings that lncMGPF is a positive regulator of muscle growth and regeneration in mice, as lncMGPF knockout significantly reduced muscle mass and impaired muscle regeneration, which indicates the possibility of treating sarcopenia at the genetic level
There have been few reports on its use in the treatment of sarcopenia, so we propose our own ideas for treatment strategies to combat sarcopenia, including tissue engineering (TE) and stem cell transplantation [87,88,89] (Fig. 2)

Summary

Introduction

Sarcopenia is a common age-related skeletal muscle disorder featuring the loss of muscle mass and function. A portion of activated SCs will differentiate into myoblasts to replenish myofibers and eventually repair muscle tissue, while others will self-renew and return to the niche to maintain a normal number of stem cells. MDSCs As early as 1999, Jackson et al [18] found high numbers of stem cells with hematopoietic differentiation abilities that expressed SCA-1 and c-Kit in the skeletal muscle of adult mice that were different from SCs due to the absence of commitment to myogenic differentiation.

Results

Conclusion