Research

Hormonal

Muscle-specific overexpression of either IGF-1Ea or IGF-1Eb isoforms counteracts age-related sarcopenia by activating autophagy and PGC-1α-mediated mitochondrial biogenesis, thereby preserving muscle mass, force, and neuromuscular junction integrity without systemic side effects.

This research suggests that maintaining local muscle production of specific IGF-1 isoforms (Ea and Eb) is crucial for fighting age-related muscle loss. While this study used genetic modification in mice, it highlights that local muscle health mechanisms (autophagy and mitochondrial function) are key targets for preventing sarcopenia, rather than just relying on systemic hormone levels.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
These data suggest that IGF-1 is a promising therapeutic agent in staving off advancing muscle weakness.
Francesca Ascenzi et al. · Aging Cell · 2019

Why this rating

High-quality mechanistic evidence from transgenic mouse models with clear molecular and functional outcomes, though not human clinical trials.

Source

Effects of IGF‐1 isoforms on muscle growth and sarcopenia

Francesca Ascenzi et al. · Aging Cell · 2019

DOI 10.1111/acel.12954

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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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