Research on Aging-Related Effects of Green Tea and Cocoa

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Aging (Aging-US)

This week's cover paper of Aging (Volume 13, Issue 14) is entitled, "Beneficial effects of dietary supplementation with green tea catechins and cocoa flavanols on aging-related regressive changes in the mouse neuromuscular system," by researchers from Universitat de Lleida and Institut de Recerca Biomèdica de Lleida (IRBLleida), Lleida, Spain; Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and CIBERNED, Bellaterra, Spain; University of Granada, Granada, Spain; Abbott Nutrition, Research and Development, Columbus, OH; Abbott Nutrition, Research and Development, Granada, Spain. Abstract: Besides skeletal muscle wasting, sarcopenia entails morphological and molecular changes in distinct components of the neuromuscular system, including spinal cord motoneurons (MNs) and neuromuscular junctions (NMJs); moreover, noticeable microgliosis has also been observed around aged MNs. Here we examined the impact of two flavonoid-enriched diets containing either green tea extract (GTE) catechins or cocoa flavanols on age-associated regressive changes in the neuromuscular system of C57BL/6J mice. Compared to control mice, GTE- and cocoa-supplementation significantly improved the survival rate of mice, reduced the proportion of fibers with lipofuscin aggregates and central nuclei, and increased the density of satellite cells in skeletal muscles. Additionally, both supplements significantly augmented the number of innervated NMJs and their degree of maturity compared to controls. GTE, but not cocoa, prominently increased the density of VAChT and VGluT2 afferent synapses on MNs, which were lost in control aged spinal cords; conversely, cocoa, but not GTE, significantly augmented the proportion of VGluT1 afferent synapses on aged MNs. Moreover, GTE, but not cocoa, reduced aging-associated microgliosis and increased the proportion of neuroprotective microglial phenotypes. Our data indicate that certain plant flavonoids may be beneficial in the nutritional management of age-related deterioration of the neuromuscular system. Sign up for free Altmetric alerts about this article - https://oncotarget.altmetric.com/details/email_updates?id=10.18632%2Foncotarget.203336 DOI - https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.203336 Full text - https://www.aging-us.com/article/203336/text Correspondence to: Jordi Calderó email: jordi.caldero@udl.cat Keywords: sarcopenia, green tea, neuromuscular system, aging, cocoa About Aging Launched in 2009, Aging publishes papers of general interest and biological significance in all fields of aging research and age-related diseases, including cancer—and now, with a special focus on COVID-19 vulnerability as an age-dependent syndrome. Topics in Aging go beyond traditional gerontology, including, but not limited to, cellular and molecular biology, human age-related diseases, pathology in model organisms, signal transduction pathways (e.g., p53, sirtuins, and PI-3K/AKT/mTOR, among others), and approaches to modulating these signaling pathways. Please visit our website at http://www.Aging-US.com​​ or connect with us on: Twitter - https://twitter.com/AgingJrnl​ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/AgingUS/​ SoundCloud - https://soundcloud.com/aging-us​ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/agingus​ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/aging​ Aging is published by Impact Journals, LLC please visit http://www.ImpactJournals.com​​ or connect with @ImpactJrnls Media Contact 18009220957 MEDIA@IMPACTJOURNALS.COM