Osteosarcopenia is an age-associated and unresolved condition characterized by concomitant bone (osteoporosis) and skeletal muscle (sarcopenia) wasting increasing risk of fractures, loss of independence, morbidity and mortality.1-3 Common factors, such as low-grade chronic inflammation and excessive treatment with glucocorticoids (GCs),2,3 are responsible of bone and muscle loss. The imbalance between muscle protein breakdown and synthesis leading to reduction in muscle type II myosin heavy chain (MyHC-II), and between bone formation and resorption due to excess activity of osteoclasts, are the many causes of osteosarcopenia.2,3 We tested a standardized dry extract of horsetail (Equisetum arvense, EQ), traditionally recommended for the treatment of many conditions in virtue of its numerous pharmacological activities,4 in in vitro experimental models mimicking muscle atrophy [i.e., C2C12 myotubes treated with proinflammatory cytokines (TNFα/IFNγ) or excess GCs (dexamethasone, Dex)]2 or osteoclastogenesis (i.e., RAW 264.7 cells treated with RANKL).4 We found that EQ extract: i) counteracts MyHC-II degradation blunting the activity of different catabolic pathways depending on the applied atrophying stimuli, and ii) reduces RANKL-dependent osteoclast formation, as evidenced by decrease in TRAP-positive cells, TRAP enzymatic activity, and expression of osteoclastogenic markers. Consumption of EQ (500mg/kg/die for 2 months) preserved muscle mass and MyHC amounts, and strongly improved muscle performance in 22-month-old WT mice. Thus, thanks to its active compounds, EQ might be useful to preserve both muscle functionality and physiological bone remodeling during aging, ameliorating the quality of life and reducing health-care costs. References 1. Clynes MA, Gregson CL, Bruyère O, Cooper C, Dennison EM. Osteosarcopenia: where osteoporosis and sarcopenia collide. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2021 Feb 1;60(2):529-37. 2. Larsson L, Degens H, Li M, Salviati L, Lee YI, Thompson W, Kirkland JL, Sandri M. Sarcopenia: Aging-Related Loss of Muscle Mass and Function. Physiol Rev. 2019 Jan 1;99(1):427-511. 3. Reginster JY, Beaudart C, Buckinx F, Bruyère O. Osteoporosis and sarcopenia: two diseases or one? Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2016 Jan;19(1):31-6. 4. Asgarpanah J, Roohi E. Phytochemistry and pharmacological properties of Equisetum arvense L. J Med Plants Res. 2012;6:3689-93.
Beneficial effects of horsetail (Equisetum arvense) in experimental models of sarcopenia and osteoporosis
Salvadori L.
;Belladonna M. L.;Chiappalupi S.;Sorci G.;Riuzzi F
2021
Abstract
Osteosarcopenia is an age-associated and unresolved condition characterized by concomitant bone (osteoporosis) and skeletal muscle (sarcopenia) wasting increasing risk of fractures, loss of independence, morbidity and mortality.1-3 Common factors, such as low-grade chronic inflammation and excessive treatment with glucocorticoids (GCs),2,3 are responsible of bone and muscle loss. The imbalance between muscle protein breakdown and synthesis leading to reduction in muscle type II myosin heavy chain (MyHC-II), and between bone formation and resorption due to excess activity of osteoclasts, are the many causes of osteosarcopenia.2,3 We tested a standardized dry extract of horsetail (Equisetum arvense, EQ), traditionally recommended for the treatment of many conditions in virtue of its numerous pharmacological activities,4 in in vitro experimental models mimicking muscle atrophy [i.e., C2C12 myotubes treated with proinflammatory cytokines (TNFα/IFNγ) or excess GCs (dexamethasone, Dex)]2 or osteoclastogenesis (i.e., RAW 264.7 cells treated with RANKL).4 We found that EQ extract: i) counteracts MyHC-II degradation blunting the activity of different catabolic pathways depending on the applied atrophying stimuli, and ii) reduces RANKL-dependent osteoclast formation, as evidenced by decrease in TRAP-positive cells, TRAP enzymatic activity, and expression of osteoclastogenic markers. Consumption of EQ (500mg/kg/die for 2 months) preserved muscle mass and MyHC amounts, and strongly improved muscle performance in 22-month-old WT mice. Thus, thanks to its active compounds, EQ might be useful to preserve both muscle functionality and physiological bone remodeling during aging, ameliorating the quality of life and reducing health-care costs. References 1. Clynes MA, Gregson CL, Bruyère O, Cooper C, Dennison EM. Osteosarcopenia: where osteoporosis and sarcopenia collide. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2021 Feb 1;60(2):529-37. 2. Larsson L, Degens H, Li M, Salviati L, Lee YI, Thompson W, Kirkland JL, Sandri M. Sarcopenia: Aging-Related Loss of Muscle Mass and Function. Physiol Rev. 2019 Jan 1;99(1):427-511. 3. Reginster JY, Beaudart C, Buckinx F, Bruyère O. Osteoporosis and sarcopenia: two diseases or one? Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2016 Jan;19(1):31-6. 4. Asgarpanah J, Roohi E. Phytochemistry and pharmacological properties of Equisetum arvense L. J Med Plants Res. 2012;6:3689-93.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
