Associação entre sarcopenia e mediadores inflamatórios: uma revisão da literatura

Abstract

Aging is a worldwide phenomenon. When the body ages, several changes occur, such as the proportional increase of adipose tissue, elevated levels of inflammatory cytokines, changes in muscle strength, muscle size and quality, among other changes. Sometimes the result of this process is impairment and functional decline. In this context, sarcopenia associates the loss of muscle strength, quality and quantity, and functional impairment. Its mechanism is still not fully understood, but presumed that inflammatory gauges play a relevant role in this process. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between inflammatory mediators and sarcopenia in the elderly. This is a literature review. We searched the databases Bireme, Pubmed and Scielo, between August 2018 and February 2019. We found 136 studies. After adjustment to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, only three studies that addressed the sarcopenic elderly and the inflammatory mediators remained. There was no consensus among studies on the association between CRP and sarcopenia. TNF-alpha and sTNFR1 were not associated with sarcopenia, as they had higher concentrations in non-sarcopenic elderly. IL-6 cytokine was elevated in aging, but its association with sarcopenia was inconclusive. In conclusion, it can be inferred that the proportional increase of adipose tissue and chronic diseases promote a higher secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines, but there was no consensus about the association of CRP, IL-6 and TNF-alpha with sarcopenia.