HORSE SPECIES SYMPOSIUM: The aging horse: Effects of inflammation on muscle satellite cells.
Abstract: With improvements in care, the equine population is living longer, remaining active, and competing at increasingly older ages. Both advancing age and exercise result in increased concentrations of circulating and local cytokines, including IL-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α. Athletic endeavors in the aged horse may further increase the proinflammatory environment in muscle, decreasing the ability to react appropriately to exercise. Poor response to exercise limits the athletic ability of geriatric horses, thus reducing their useful life span and potentially increasing the risk of injury. Satellite cells are muscle stem cells that reside adjacent to muscle fibers in skeletal muscle and are at least partially responsible for maintenance of muscle mass and muscle hypertrophy. In the adult animal, these cells normally exist in a quiescent state, becoming active, proliferating, and differentiating in response to specific stimuli. Growth factors and cytokines present during hypertrophy and following exercise affect satellite cell activity. Whereas the specific effects of cytokines on equine satellite cells are not well established, cytokines can influence satellite cell and myoblast proliferation and differentiation both positively and negatively. Understanding the effects of cytokines on equine satellite cell function will provide insight into the mechanisms responsible for the poor response to exercise in the aged horse. The proinflammatory environment in aged horses may inhibit exercise induced satellite cell activity, thereby diminishing exercise-induced hypertrophy. As more horses are surviving and competing into their 20s, more research is required to understand the response of these animals to exercise during normal aging.
Publication Date: 2014-11-05 PubMed ID: 25367519DOI: 10.2527/jas.2014-8448Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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This research explores how inflammation affects the function of muscle satellite cells in aging horses, with the goal of improving understanding and thereby enhancing these animals’ ability to exercise and compete as they age.
Background
- The equine population is now enjoying a longer life span due to improvements in care. Furthermore, these aging horses are remaining active and competing even at advanced ages.
- However, age and exercise cause an increase in certain cytokines, including IL-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α, which are associated with inflammation.
- Athletic activities in aging horses may exacerbate this proinflammatory environment in their muscles, in turn diminishing their capacity to respond optimally to exercise. This, unfortunately, limits their athletic potential, shortens their useful lifespan, and may increase their risk of injury.
Satellite Cells and their Role
- Satellite cells are present in skeletal muscles and function as muscle stem cells. They are positioned near muscle fibres and contribute significantly to the maintenance of muscle mass and muscle hypertrophy (increase in muscle size).
- In adult animals, these cells are typically in a dormant state, but can be activated, causing them to proliferate and differentiate, when exposed to specific stimuli.
- These stimuli often include growth factors and cytokines that are present after exercise or during muscle hypertrophy.
Impact of Cytokines on Equine Satellite Cells
- The exact influence of cytokines on equine satellite cells remains largely unknown; however, they are known to impact satellite cell and myoblast (muscle precursor cells) proliferation and differentiation, both in positive and negative ways.
- The researchers postulate that the proinflammatory environment common in aged horses may inhibit the exercise-induced activity of satellite cells, thereby reducing exercise-induced muscle hypertrophy (growth).
- Thus, they argue that understanding the impact of cytokines on equine satellite cell function could shed light on why aged horses have a poor response to exercise.
Conclusion and Future Directions
- The research indicates that further work is needed to elucidate the nature of the response of aging horses to exercise.
- This is particularly important as more horses are surviving and competing even into their 20s, highlighting a growing need for understanding how to optimize their health and performance as they age.
Cite This Article
APA
Reed SA, LaVigne EK, Jones AK, Patterson DF, Schauer AL.
(2014).
HORSE SPECIES SYMPOSIUM: The aging horse: Effects of inflammation on muscle satellite cells.
J Anim Sci, 93(3), 862-870.
https://doi.org/10.2527/jas.2014-8448 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
MeSH Terms
- Aging / physiology
- Animals
- Body Composition / physiology
- Cell Differentiation / physiology
- Cell Proliferation / physiology
- Cytokines / physiology
- Horses / physiology
- Hypertrophy
- Inflammation / pathology
- Inflammation / physiopathology
- Muscle, Skeletal / pathology
- Muscle, Skeletal / physiopathology
- Myoblasts / pathology
- Myoblasts / physiology
- Physical Conditioning, Animal / physiology
- Satellite Cells, Skeletal Muscle / pathology
- Satellite Cells, Skeletal Muscle / physiology
Citations
This article has been cited 5 times.- Park D, Kim DY, Byun MR, Hwang H, Ko SH, Baek JH, Baek K. Undercarboxylated, But Not Carboxylated, Osteocalcin Suppresses TNF-α-Induced Inflammatory Signaling Pathway in Myoblasts. J Endocr Soc 2022 Aug 1;6(8):bvac084.
- Smith BI, Govoni KE. Use of Agriculturally Important Animals as Models in Biomedical Research. Adv Exp Med Biol 2022;1354:315-333.
- Costamagna D, Costelli P, Sampaolesi M, Penna F. Role of Inflammation in Muscle Homeostasis and Myogenesis. Mediators Inflamm 2015;2015:805172.
- Sanigavatee K, Poochipakorn C, Huangsaksri O, Vichitkraivin S, Pakdeelikhit S, Chotiyothin W, Wongkosoljit S, Wonghanchao T, Chanda M. A structured exercise regimen enhances autonomic function compared to unstructured physical activities in geriatric horses. Sci Rep 2025 Jan 20;15(1):2493.
- Ulaangerel T, Yi M, Budsuren U, Shen Y, Ren H, Demuul B, Bai D, Dorjgotov D, Davaakhuu G, Jambal T, Dugarjav M, Bou G. Condition optimization for electroporation transfection in horse skeletal muscle satellite cells. Anim Biotechnol 2024 Nov;35(1):2280664.
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