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- Title
Improvement in muscular performance and decrease in tumor necrosis factor level in old age after antioxidant treatment.
- Authors
Hauer, Klaus; Hildebrandt, Wulf; Sehl, Yvonne; Edler, Lutz; Oster, Peter; Dröge, Wulf
- Abstract
Aging-related loss of muscle function is a predictor of mortality and a surrogate parameter of the aging process. Its consequences include a high risk for falls, hip fractures, and loss of autonomy. Aging is associated with changes in the oxidant/antioxidant balance including a decrease in plasma thiol (cysteine) concentration. To assess the importance of cysteine, we determined in a double-blind study the effects of N-acetylcysteine on the functional capacity of frail geriatric patients and their response to physical exercise. The subjects on placebo showed only a relatively weak response, and 31% showed even a decrease in more than one parameter during the observation period. Low plasma arginine levels were correlated with a weak overall performance before exercise and a poor response to exercise. N-Acetylcysteine strongly enhanced the increase in knee extensor strength and significantly increased the sum of all strength parameters if adjusted for baseline arginine level as a confounding parameter. N-acetylcysteine had no significant effect on growth hormone and IGF-1 levels but caused a significant decrease in plasma TNF-alpha. These findings may provide a basis for therapeutic intervention and suggest that the loss of function involves limitations in cysteine and one or more other amino acids which may compromise muscular protein synthesis.
- Publication
Journal of molecular medicine (Berlin, Germany), 2003, Vol 81, Issue 2, p118
- ISSN
0946-2716
- Publication type
Journal Article
- DOI
10.1007/s00109-002-0406-7