title: Skeletal muscle telomere length is not impaired in healthy physically active old women and men.
abstract: We have previously shown that the number of satellite cells is lower in old than young men and women. The aim of this study was to further explore the effects of aging on the regenerative potential of skeletal muscle in 16 young and 26 old men and women with comparable physical activity level (young, 25 +/- 4 years; old, 75 +/- 4 years). Mean and minimum telomere lengths were determined using Southern blot analyses on biopsies obtained from the tibialis anterior muscle. There were no significant age or gender effects on mean and minimal telomeric lengths, suggesting that the replicative potential in the remaining satellite cells in the tibialis anterior muscle is not impaired with increasing age and the existence of in vivo regulatory mechanisms allowing the maintenance of telomere length. These results imply that moderate physical activity regularly performed by old subjects is not associated with accelerated telomere loss.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, Orebro University, Orebro, Sweden.
authors.forename: Elodie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ponsot
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lexell
authors.forename: Fawzi
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kadi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D001706:Biopsy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology; D032496:Satellite Cells, Skeletal Muscle / Q000166:cytology; D016615:Telomere / Q000502:physiology*; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology