A new study by researchers at Stanford Medical School shows that a sprint stimulation on the exercise wheel every night can enhance the muscle repair ability of elderly mice.
Researchers found that only older mice can see this benefit, which is due to the rejuvenation of the animal’s muscle stem cells.
Thomas Rando, MD, professor of neurology and neuroscience and director of the Glenn Center for Aging Biology at Stanford University, said: "The impact on elderly animals is very significant." "We found that regular exercise can restore tissue repair. Young state. Their muscle stem cells begin to look and behave like young animals."
Researchers also discovered a molecular pathway related to cell clock reversal. They believe that drugs that manipulate this pathway may be an effective substitute for exercise.
Unlike embryos or induced pluripotent stem cells, it can produce any tissue in the body, and the potential of tissue-specific stem cells is limited. Muscle stem cells wait in the wing along the muscle fibers in the resting state, which is called the resting state, until they are required to repair the damage.
Lando said: "Studies conducted by us and others have shown that tissue regeneration decreases with age due to the decline in the function of adult stem cells." "Many researchers are looking for a way to restore youth. "
The benefits of lifestyle adjustment
Although no researchers have found a reliable source of young people, it is well known that certain lifestyle adjustments may be beneficial.
Lando said: "It is well known that exercise can reduce the risk of various age-related problems, including cardiovascular disease, cancer and even Alzheimer's disease." "People are very interested in understanding how exercise gives these health benefits. "
Researchers especially want to know whether and how voluntary exercise affects the function of mouse muscle stem cells. They gave mice about 20 months old (equivalent to humans 60-70 years old) and 3 to 4 months old (equivalent to humans 20 to 30 years old) using exercise wheels. And allow them to run at will. Young rats average about 10 kilometers per night, and older rats about 5 kilometers. The other two groups of young and old mice were provided with non-rotating wheels as a control group.
Lando said: "Animals exercise at a comfortable intensity level, which is much like what people do for their own health. This situation is less stressful than resistance training or intense endurance training, which may be Affect the function of muscle stem cells.” Subsequent analysis showed that the muscle stem cells of exercise animals remained stationary, and the animals did not develop a large number of new muscle fibers after exercise.
After three weeks of aerobic exercise every night in the active group, the researchers compared the animals' ability to repair muscle damage. They found that compared with expectations, the ability of the old sedentary mice to repair muscle damage was significantly lower than that of the young sedentary mice. However, older animals that exercise regularly are much better at repairing muscle damage than animals that do not exercise. This exercise benefit has not been observed in young animals.
Transplant muscle stem cells from old mice after exercise into young mice, and similar results can be obtained. Compared with sedentary people of the same age, stem cells from sports animals contribute more to the repair process.