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The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences Advance Access published online on October 28, 2009
The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, doi:10.1093/gerona/glp155
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© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org.

Adipose Tissue Infiltration in Skeletal Muscle of Healthy Elderly Men: Relationships With Body Composition, Insulin Resistance, and Inflammation at the Systemic and Tissue Level

Elena Zoico1, Andrea Rossi1, Vincenzo Di Francesco1, Anna Sepe1, Debora Olioso1, Francesca Pizzini2, Francesco Fantin1, Ottavio Bosello1, Luciano Cominacini3, Tamara B Harris4 and Mauro Zamboni1

1 Division of Geriatric Medicine, University of Verona, Italy
2 Service of Neuroradiology, Borgo Trento Hospital, Verona, Italy
3 Division of Internal Medicine, University of Verona, Italy
4 Geriatric Epidemiology Section, Laboratory of Epidemiology, Demography and Biometry, National Institute of Aging, Bethesda, Maryland

Address correspondence to Mauro Zamboni, MD, Division of Geriatric Medicine, University of Verona, Ospedale Maggiore, Piazzale Stefani 1, 37126 Verona, Italy. Email: mauro.zamboni{at}univr.it


  Abstract

Background: Association between inflammatory markers and intermuscular adipose tissue (IMAT) has been reported. We hypothesized that subclinical inflammation of adipose tissue surrounding and infiltrating muscle could be related to the metabolic and functional abnormalities of the "aging muscle."

Methods: In 20 healthy elderly men undergoing elective vertebral surgery, IMAT within erector spinae was evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging and body composition by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Fasting glucose, insulin, high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), leptin, adiponectin, and interleukin 6 (IL-6) were measured, and insulin resistance was estimated by homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) index. In subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) biopsies near the erector spinae, quantification of gene expression was performed.

Results: IMAT showed a significant association with body mass index and total and regional body fat, even after adjustment for age. Insulin, HOMA, and leptin were significantly correlated with IMAT, whereas hs-CRP presented an association of borderline significance. IL-6 expression in SAT was significantly associated with IMAT; IL-6 messenger RNA (mRNA) was negatively associated with adiponectin and peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor gamma expression. In multivariate regression analysis, 68% of IMAT variance was explained by fat mass and age, independent of waist circumference, leptin, HOMA, and IL-6 mRNA.

Conclusion: IMAT was primarily related to age and total body adiposity; subclinical inflammation in fat significantly contributes to IMAT.

Keywords IMAT; Body composition; Insulin resistance; Inflammation; Aging

Received: August 12, 2009; Accepted: September 16, 2009

Decision Editor: Luigi Ferrucci, MD, PhD


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