Functional deficits and insulin-like growth factor-I gene expression following tourniquet-induced injury of skeletal muscle in young and old rats

This study investigated the effect of age on recovery of skeletal muscle from an ischemia-reperfusion (I/R)-induced injury. Young (6 mo old) and old (24-27 mo old) Sprague-Dawley rats underwent a 2-h bout of hindlimb ischemia induced by a pneumatic tourniquet (TK). The TK was released to allow reperfusion of the affected limb, and animals were divided into 7- and 14-day recovery groups. Maximum plantar flexor force production was assessed in both 7- and 14-day recovery groups of both ages, followed by histological evaluation. Subsequent analysis of IGF-I gene expression and intracellular signaling in 7-day recovery muscles was performed by RT-PCR and Western blotting, respectively. Old rats had significantly greater deficits in force production and exhibited more evidence of histological pathology than young at both 7 and 14 days postinjury. In addition, old rats demonstrated an attenuated upregulation of IGF-I mRNA and induction of proanabolic signaling compared with young in response to injury. We conclude that aged skeletal muscle exhibits more damage and/or defective regeneration following I/R and identify an age-associated decrease in local IGF-I responsiveness as a potential mechanism for this phenomenon.