Figure. Aerobic exercise enhances skeletal muscle regeneration in aged mice. (A) C57BL/6 male mice were categorized into 4 groups: MICT initiated at 9 months old (aged + Ex-9M), MICT initiated at 20 months old (aged + Ex-20M), and controls for adult (3- to 4-month-old) and aged (25-month-old) mice. (D) Evaluation of muscle regeneration in tibialis anterior muscles at 6 dpi. Representative haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and embryonic myosin heavy chain (eMHC) stained tibialis anterior tissue sections for adult, aged, aged + Ex-9M, and aged + Ex-20M mice. Scale bar, 100 μm.
Aerobic exercise effectively reverses the decline in endurance capacity and mitigates muscle atrophy in aged mice. It inhibits CCN2 secretion from senescent muscle stem cells, thereby enhancing skeletal muscle regeneration and preventing fibrosis in aged mice. AICAR supplementation mimics the beneficial effects of aerobic exercise.
Source: Li F, Zhang F, Shi H, Xia H, Wei X, Liu S, Wu T, Li Y, Shu F, Chen M, Li J, Duan R. Aerobic exercise suppresses CCN2 secretion from senescent muscle stem cells and boosts muscle regeneration in aged mice. J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle. 2024;15(5):1733-1749. doi: 10.1002/jcsm.13526.
