Does Exercise Training Reverse Age-induced Pro-oxidant, Pro-inflammatory Signaling?
This project focuses on the cellular regulation of pro-oxidant, pro-inflammatory signaling in skeletal muscle with aging, and the ability of exercise training to ameliorate age-induced upregulation of pro-inflammatory pathways in skeletal muscle. Inactivity contributes to skeletal muscle weakness and increased fatigue in skeletal muscle as well as an increased risk of “modern chronic diseases” including heart disease, Type II diabetes, and hypertension. Skeletal muscle wasting occurs with spaceflight and a number of pathological conditions including heart failure, sepsis, inflammatory myopathies, muscular dystrophy, and cancer. The aging, inactivity, and skeletal muscle wasting pathologies all may share common characteristics: increased inflammation, oxidative stress, upregulation of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and susceptibility to damage. However, the cellular mechanisms that regulate pro-oxidant, pro-inflammatory signaling in aging skeletal muscle are poorly understood.
