Human Sarcopenic Myoblasts Can Be Rescued by Pharmacological Reactivation of HIF-1α

Sarcopenia, an age-related decline in muscle mass and strength, is associated with metabolic disease and increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. It is associated with decreased tissue vascularization and muscle atrophy. In this work, we investigated the role of the hypoxia inducible factor HIF-1 alpha in sarcopenia. To this end, we obtained skeletal muscle biopsies from elderly sarcopenic patients and compared them with those from young individuals. We found a decrease in the expression of HIF-1 alpha and its target genes in sarcopenia, as well as of PAX7, the major stem cell marker of satellite cells, whereas the atrophy marker MURF1 was increased. We also isolated satellite cells from muscle biopsies and cultured them in vitro. We found that a pharmacological activation of HIF-1 alpha and its target genes caused a reduction in skeletal muscle atrophy and activation of PAX7 gene expression. In conclusion, in this work we found that HIF-1 alpha plays a role in sarcopenia and is involved in satellite cell homeostasis. These results support further studies to test whether pharmacological reactivation of HIF-1 alpha could prevent and counteract sarcopenia.