Extramyocellular interleukin-6 influences skeletal muscle mitochondrial physiology through canonical JAK/STAT signaling pathways.

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a pleiotropic cytokine that has been shown to be produced acutely by skeletal muscle in response to exercise, yet chronically elevated with obesity and aging. The mechanisms by which IL-6 influences skeletal muscle mitochondria acutely and chronically are unclear. To better understand the influence of extramyocellular IL-6 on skeletal muscle mitochondrial physiology, we treated differentiated myotubes with exogenous IL-6 to evaluate the dose- and duration-dependent effects of IL-6 on salient aspects of mitochondrial biology and the role of canonical IL-6 signaling in muscle cells.

Influence of omega-3 fatty acids on skeletal muscle protein metabolism and mitochondrial bioenergetics in older adults.

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n3-PUFA) are recognized for their anti-inflammatory effects and may be beneficial in the context of sarcopenia. We determined the influence of n3-PUFA on muscle mitochondrial physiology and protein metabolism in older adults. Twelve young (18-35 years) and older (65-85 years) men and women were studied at baseline.

Pulmonary vascular collagen content, not cross-linking, contributes to right ventricular pulsatile afterload and overload in early pulmonary hypertension.

Unlabelled: Hypoxic pulmonary hypertension (HPH) is associated with pulmonary artery (PA) remodeling and right ventricular (RV) overload. We have previously uncovered collagen-mediated mechanisms of proximal PA stiffening in early HPH by manipulating collagen degradation and cross-linking using a transgenic mouse strain and a potent collagen cross-link inhibitor, β-aminopropionitrile (BAPN). However, the roles of collagen in distal PA remodeling, overall RV afterload, and RV hypertrophy in HPH remain unknown.