Eucommiae Cortex(Eucommia Ulmoides Oliver) Modulates MUSCLE Atrophy In Aged Mice

Purpose: Although exercise is the only way to suppress sarcopenia, using it for treating sarcopenia in the elderly is very difficult. Sports supplements used for the purpose of maximizing the benefits of exercise may include drugs that directly modulate sarcopenia. Therefore, the intake of sports supple-ments can be expected to have a synergistic effect of strengthening muscles in combination with exer-cise. Methods: In this study, we attempted to find a candidate adjuvant that might have a synergistic effect in the treatment of sarcopenia. To test the effect of Eucommiae(Eucommia ulmoides Oliver) cortex extract, which is used in Korean herbal medicines, in the treatment of sarcopenia, mice were divided into 3 groups: a control group(CON), a sarcopenia model group (age-elicited group; AEG), and a group consisting of sarcopenia model mice being administered with Eucommiae cortex extract(ECTG). Results: We identified muscle loss in aged mice and applied this mouse model to evaluate the effi-cacy of sports supplements. Muscle loss was reduced as a result of treatment with Eucommiae cortex extract to aging mice. The expression of Caspase-3 was measured in the femur using specific an-tibodies. Muscle mass was analyzed using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. In the AGE group, protein expression of Caspase-3 was increased; however, in the ECTG group, Caspase-3 expres-sion was significantly reduced. Conclusion: These findings suggested that Eucommiae cortex extract decreased muscle loss and muscle cell death by regulating Caspase-3.