Emerging Therapeutic Strategies in Sarcopenia: An Updated Review on Pathogenesis and Treatment Advances

Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Apr 12;25(8):4300. doi: 10.3390/ijms25084300.

Abstract

Sarcopenia is a prevalent degenerative skeletal muscle condition in the elderly population, posing a tremendous burden on diseased individuals and healthcare systems worldwide. Conventionally, sarcopenia is currently managed through nutritional interventions, physical therapy, and lifestyle modification, with no pharmaceutical agents being approved for specific use in this disease. As the pathogenesis of sarcopenia is still poorly understood and there is no treatment recognized as universally effective, recent research efforts have been directed at better comprehending this illness and diversifying treatment strategies. In this respect, this paper overviews the new advances in sarcopenia treatment in correlation with its underlying mechanisms. Specifically, this review creates an updated framework for sarcopenia, describing its etiology, pathogenesis, risk factors, and conventional treatments, further discussing emerging therapeutic approaches like new drug formulations, drug delivery systems, stem cell therapies, and tissue-engineered scaffolds in more detail.

Keywords: clinical trials; drug delivery; new therapeutic agents; sarcopenia pathophysiology; sarcopenia treatment; stem cell therapy; tissue engineering.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Drug Delivery Systems / methods
  • Humans
  • Muscle, Skeletal / drug effects
  • Muscle, Skeletal / metabolism
  • Risk Factors
  • Sarcopenia* / etiology
  • Sarcopenia* / therapy
  • Stem Cell Transplantation / methods
  • Tissue Engineering / methods

Grants and funding

This research received no external funding.