A mitochondrial lipid may help explain how muscles age

A fatty molecule called cardiolipin declines with age in mouse and human muscle, according to research reported by the University of Copenhagen. Cardiolipin is found in mitochondria, the structures that help supply cells with energy. Experiments in mice suggest that its decline may help explain changes in the types of fibres that make up muscle. University of Copenhagen, CBMR (source, opens in new tab)

When researchers lowered cardiolipin in mice, muscles shifted away from fast-twitch fibres, used for brief, powerful activity, towards slower fibres better suited to sustained effort. Partially restoring cardiolipin also began to reverse muscle wasting in the mouse model, the university reported.

The human evidence is narrower: samples showed that cardiolipin declines with age. The proposed mechanism and attempts to alter it were tested in mice and cultured muscle cells. This study did not establish whether changing this pathway would improve muscle function in people.

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