Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

With advanced age, there is a loss of muscle mass and function, known as sarcopenia, which can lead to an increased risk of falls, disability, infection, and an overall decline in the quality of life. Exercise is currently the most effective treatment for sarcopenia as it can reduce muscle loss and increase muscle mass and strength. A hallmark of aging is the accumulation of senescent cells, which leads to a reduced ability for tissues to function properly. Senescence is a state that cells can enter that permanently stops cell division while releasing factors that negatively affect nearby cells in the surrounding environment. By eliminating senescent cells, we can alleviate the age-related decline in muscle function may be alleviated. To do so we lean on a new class of drugs that selectively kill senescent cells called senolytics which have been used to improve function in aged tissues. In this study, we aim to determine if exercise and senolytics can be used as an effective treatment to improve muscle function in aging alone or in combination. We will compare (a) biweekly senolytic treatment, (b) 2x/week exercise training program, (c) biweekly senolytic + exercise training program and (d) no treatment in one year old mice for 9-months. We found that there was improved physical function in both exercise and our combined treatment group. There were more senescent cells and inflammatory markers in the naturally aged mice which was lowered in our treatment groups. Thus, both exercise and senolytics can be used to treat age-related decline in muscle function with no additive effects. Results from this study will contribute to improved treatment strategies for sarcopenia and may lead to an increase in the quality of life.