Research Paper Volume 17, Issue 5 pp 1206—1220
Changes in metabolism-related RNA expression in circulating white blood cells of aged individual with physical frailty
- 1 Department of Regenerative Medicine Research, Foundation for Biomedical Research and Innovation at Kobe, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan
- 2 Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0019, Japan
- 3 Global Planning Group, Kaneka corporation, Osaka-shi, Osaka 530-8288, Japan
- 4 Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP, Hamburg 22525, Germany
- 5 Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence for Immune-Mediated Diseases CIMD, Hamburg 22525, Germany
- 6 Matsui Dietary and Dementia Clinic, Akashi-shi, Hyogo 673-0891, Japan
Received: November 26, 2024 Accepted: May 7, 2025 Published: May 28, 2025
https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.206256How to Cite
Copyright: © 2025 Okinaka et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Abstract
Background: Physical frailty is an age-related clinical condition associated with deterioration of physiological capacity. In aged mice, increased RNA expression of metabolism-related genes in circulating white blood cells (WBC) correlates with impaired physical function.
Methods: Twenty elderly volunteers were enrolled in this exploratory analysis and the possible link between RNA expression of metabolism-related genes in WBC and impairment of their physical function was investigated (jRCT1050210166. Feb. 02, 2022). In mechanism of action studies, cellular interactions between WBC and cells in muscle tissue were investigated in mice.
Results: RNA expression of metabolism-related genes, such as glucose transporter 1 (Glut1), Glut3, AMP-activated protein kinase A, and prolyl hydroxylase 3, was significantly increased in aged individuals with swallowing dysfunction and masticatory disturbance compared to those without these symptoms. The level of metabolism-related RNA expression significantly decreased with walking habits compared to no walking habits. Studies in mice have revealed a direct link between circulating WBC and endothelium/satellite cells via gap junction.
Conclusions: Our results indicate that the level of metabolism-related RNA expression in WBC can serve as a marker of impaired physical function in the elderly and that circulating WBC may have a previously unknown physiological role in maintaining physical function.