title: Identification of serum biomarkers for aging and anabolic response.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  With the progressive aging of the human population, there is an inexorable decline in muscle mass, strength and function. Anabolic supplementation with testosterone has been shown to effectively restore muscle mass in both young and elderly men. In this study, we were interested in identifying serum factors that change with age in two distinct age groups of healthy men, and whether these factors were affected by testosterone supplementation.
  
  
  METHODS
  We measured the protein levels of a number of serum biomarkers using a combination of banked serum samples from older men (60 to 75 years) and younger men (ages 18 to 35), as well as new serum specimens obtained through collaboration. We compared baseline levels of all biomarkers between young and older men. In addition, we evaluated potential changes in these biomarker levels in association with testosterone dose (low dose defined as 125 mg per week or below compared to high dose defined as 300 mg per week or above) in our banked specimens.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We identified nine serum biomarkers that differed between the young and older subjects. These age-associated biomarkers included: insulin-like growth factor (IGF1), N-terminal propeptide of type III collagen (PIIINP), monokine induced by gamma interferon (MIG), epithelial-derived neutrophil-activating peptide 78 (ENA78), interleukin 7 (IL-7), p40 subunit of interleukin 12 (IL-12p40), macrophage inflammatory protein 1β (MIP-1β), platelet derived growth factor β (PDGFβ) and interferon-inducible protein 10 (IP-10). We further observed testosterone dose-associated changes in some but not all age related markers: IGF1, PIIINP, leptin, MIG and ENA78. Gains in lean mass were confirmed by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results from this study suggest that there are potential phenotypic biomarkers in serum that can be associated with healthy aging and that some but not all of these biomarkers reflect gains in muscle mass upon testosterone administration.
authors.affiliation: Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, 710 Albany Street, Boston MA, 02118, USA. mmontano@bu.edu.
authors.forename: Camellia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Banerjee
authors.forename: Jagadish
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ulloor
authors.forename: Edgar L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Dillon
authors.forename: Qusai
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Dahodwala
authors.forename: Brittani
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Franklin
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Storer
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sebastiani
authors.forename: Melinda
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sheffield-Moore
authors.forename: Randall J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Urban
authors.forename: Shalender
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bhasin
authors.forename: Monty
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Montano