Pharmacological blockade of TNFα prevents sarcopenia and prolongs survival in aging mice.

Sarcopenia is a hallmark of aging. Inflammation due to increased generation of cytokines such as TNFα, IL-1ß and IL-6 has been implicated in the pathogenesis of sarcopenia. In skeletal muscle of C57BL/6 mice from 12 until 28 months of age, we observed a progressive reduction of myofiber cross sectional area, loss of type II fibers and infiltration by inflammatory cells. Muscle strength decreased in parallel. Pharmacological TNFα blockade by weekly subcutaneous injection of Etanercept from 16 to 28 months of age prevented atrophy and loss of type II fibers, with significant improvements in muscle function and mice lifespan. The effects on leukocyte recruitment were limited. These results provide a proof of principle that endogenous TNFα is sufficient to cause sarcopenia and to reduce animal survival, and open a novel perspective on novel potential pharmacological treatment strategies based on TNFα blockade to prevent the noxious events associated with aging.

Genetic and Acquired Heterotopic Ossification: A Translational Tale of Mice and Men.

Heterotopic ossification is defined as an aberrant formation of bone in extraskeletal soft tissue, for which both genetic and acquired conditions are known. This pathologic process may occur in many different sites such as the skin, subcutaneous tissue, skeletal muscle and fibrous tissue adjacent to joints, ligaments, walls of blood vessels, mesentery and other. The clinical spectrum of this disorder is wide: lesions may range from small foci of ossification to massive deposits of bone throughout the body, typical of the progressive genetically determined conditions such as fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva, to mention one of the most severe and disabling forms. The ectopic bone formation may be regarded as a failed tissue repair process in response to a variety of triggers and evolving towards bone formation through a multistage differentiation program, with several steps common to different clinical presentations and distinctive features. In this review, we aim at providing a comprehensive view of the genetic and acquired heterotopic ossification disorders by detailing the clinical and molecular features underlying the different human conditions in comparison with the corresponding, currently available mouse models.