Evaluation of Sarcopenia Using Biomarkers of the Neuromuscular Junction in Parkinson’s Disease

Biochemical Markers of Musculoskeletal Health and Aging to be Assessed in Clinical Trials of Drugs Aiming at the Treatment of Sarcopenia: Consensus Paper from an Expert Group Meeting Organized by the European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases (ESCEO) and the Centre Académique de Recherche et d'Expérimentation en Santé (CARES SPRL), Under the Auspices of the World Health Organization Collaborating Center for the Epidemiology of Musculoskel

“…BDNF and GDNF are lower in sarcopenia of hemodialyzed or kidney transplant patients [ 66 , 67 ]. Both factors were shown to be as efficient as CAF for the diagnosis of sarcopenia in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients [ 68 ] and in Parkinson’s disease patients [ 69 ]. However, BDNF has been studied more in sarcopenia than GDNF.…”

Elevated plasma CAF22 are incompletely restored six months after COVID-19 infection in older men

“…The plasma CAF22 was only incompletely restored six months after COVID-19 infection, indicating reduced NMJ plasticity following COVID-19 infection. We have previously reported a dynamic association of plasma CAF22 with muscle strength and mass ( Karim et al, 2022b ). These findings suggest that plasma CAF22 can potentially mirror the alterations in NMJ integrity during health and disease.…”

“…We used ELISA to measure 8–isoprostanes (Cayman Chemical, Ann Arbor, MI, USA) and C–reactive protein or CRP (R&D Systems, Minneapolis, MN, USA) levels and biochemical assays to measure creatine kinase levels, as described previously ( Qaisar et al, 2020a ). Plasma CAF22 levels were measured according to the manufacturer's instructions (NTCAF, ELISA, Neurotune, Schlieren-Zurich, Switzerland), as described previously ( Karim et al, 2022b ).…”

“…The smaller sub-fragment termed C-terminal agrin fragment 22 (CAF22) is released into circulation and has emerged as a valuable marker of NMJ degradation and sarcopenia ( Qaisar et al, 2021a ). Specifically, we have reported that the higher plasma CAF22 level is robustly correlated with muscle weakness and severity of sarcopenia in older patients ( Karim et al, 2022b ). Our recent findings indicate an elevation of plasma CAF22 in COVID-19 patients, indicating potential NMJ damage ( Qaisar et al, 2021b ).…”

Editorial: Skeletal muscle in age-related diseases: From molecular pathogenesis to potential interventions

“…Sarcopenia is accompanied by functional disability and decreased quality of life. Skeletal muscle exhibits several characteristic alterations in sarcopenia, including diminished mitochondrial respiratory activity ( Short et al, 2005 ) contractile dysfunction ( Joseph et al, 2012 ; Grevendonk et al, 2021 ) elevated oxidative stress ( Meng and Yu, 2010 ), reduced satellite cell count ( Zwetsloot et al, 2013 ), senescence phenotype ( Saito and Chikenji, 2021 ), loss of motor units ( Piasecki et al, 2016 ), neuromuscular junction degradation ( Karim et al, 2022 ), dysregulated calcium homeostasis ( Qaisar et al, 2020 ), and hormonal changes ( Qaisar et al, 2013 ).…”