Astaxanthin Improves Myogenicity Of Aged Skeletal Muscle Progenitor Cells In A Sexually Dimorphic Manner
As we age, our muscles naturally decline, leading to reduced mobility and a condition called sarcopenia, or age-related muscle wasting. This can significantly impact quality of life. Researchers have been investigating nutritional strategies to help maintain muscle health in older populations. One promising compound is astaxanthin, a powerful natural antioxidant found in certain algae and seafood.
A recent study explored how this compound affects aged human muscle progenitor cells, which are essentially stem cells responsible for repairing and regenerating muscle tissue. The findings revealed that astaxanthin significantly boosted the ability of these aged cells to multiply and commit to becoming new muscle cells. Interestingly, this beneficial effect was more pronounced in male muscle cells than in female muscle cells. This suggests that the way astaxanthin works might differ between sexes, possibly due to variations in how it handles harmful reactive oxygen species (unstable molecules that can damage cells) and influences mitochondrial function (the process by which cells generate energy). The study also noted that astaxanthin increased the levels of certain protective proteins, NRF2 and SIRT3, in both male and female cells, with a specific increase in mitochondrial SIRT3 in males. These results highlight astaxanthin as a potential dietary supplement to combat age-related muscle decline, suggesting that personalized approaches considering sex differences might be beneficial for optimizing muscle health in older adults.
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