An interdisciplinary research team led by Professor Dr. Bent Brachvogel has examined how mitochondria influence the premature aging of the skeleton. Mitochondria are also known as the ‘cell powers’ and play a key role in energy production through cellular respiration. Researchers have discovered that premature deterioration dependent on the development of mitochondrial respiration is responsible for accelerating the skeletal aging process. The study was published under the title “The metabolic wiring caused by mitochondrial dysfunction promotes skeletal aging dependent on MTORC1” in Scientific advances.
The researchers undertook a specific in vivo analysis of the mitochondrial malfunction in the skeletal system using a mouse model. They were able to demonstrate that a deterioration dependent on the development of mitochondrial cellular respiration in cartilage cells leads to a long -term change in cell metabolism. As a result of this metabolic adaptation, cells lose their ability to regenerate in the long term and die, so that the aging processes are accelerated in the skeleton.
According to Professor Dr. Bent Brachvogel, the last author responsible for the study, “the fundamental processes identified here could establish the basis for the new treatment strategies to influence the degeneration of the cartilage and skeletal aging in the context of mitochondrial disorders at an early stage.”
The study was conducted in relation to the For2722 Research Unit. The research unit is examining the role of the extracellular matrix in the musculoskeletal system, the part of the connective tissue found in the space between the cells. An focus area is the development of chronic degenerative diseases within the musculoskeletal system.
The study was led by the experimental neonatology team at the Colonia Hospital University. The researchers of the Cecad Excellence Group for aged research, the Max Planck Institute for the biology of aging and the faculties of Mathematics and Natural Sciences in the universities of Colonia and Erlangen-Nürnberg, also participated in the study.
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