ArticleAging cell2015
The histone deacetylase inhibitor butyrate improves metabolism and reduces muscle atrophy during aging.
Article in Aging cell, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 203 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
203 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 314 citations in OpenAlex.
- Comparison of the gut microbiota in older people with and without sarcopenia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2025Pooled it
- The Relationship Between Gut Microbiota, Muscle Mass and Physical Function in Older Individuals: A Systematic Review.Nutrients · 2024Pooled it
- Gut microbial composition is altered in sarcopenia: A systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical studies.PloS one · 2024Pooled it
- Changes in the gut microbiota of patients with sarcopenia based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in nutrition · 2024Pooled it
- Gut microbiome and frailty: insight from genetic correlation and mendelian randomization.Gut microbes · 2023Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Understanding the gut microbiota and sarcopenia: a systematic review.Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle · 2021Pooled it
- Influence of Exercise on the Human Gut Microbiota of Healthy Adults: A Systematic Review.Clinical and translational gastroenterology · 2020Pooled it
- Protein yogurt and whey protein produce comparable muscle gains, but divergent microbiome shifts during strength training in older adults.Scientific reports · 2026Trial
- The effect of elastic-band resistance training on fecal microbiota and derived metabolites of aged individuals with possible sarcopenia.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Trial
- Trial
- Effects of anti-aging diets and exercise on age-related musculoskeletal diseases via gut microbiota modulation.Annals of medicine · 2026Review
- Review
- Epigenetics in development, disease, and therapy: from mechanisms to clinical interventions.Science China. Life sciences · 2026Review
- Gut microbiota and meat quality in ruminants: a review of mechanisms and microbiota-targeted interventions.Food science of animal resources · 2026Review
- The Maternal Microbiome in Pregnancy: From Physiological Changes to Dysbiosis and Obstetrical Complications-Therapeutic Perspectives.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- MyBioScope: a new frontier in gut microbiome and health research.Bioresources and bioprocessing · 2026Article
- Organellar insights in ageing and longevity.Nature cell biology · 2026Review
- Theoretical Perspectives on Balance Training and the Gut-Muscle-Brain Axis in Aging.Brain sciences · 2026Review
- Microbiota-associated metabolite pantothenic acid enhances skeletal muscle contusion repair via epigenetic regulation of macrophage M2 polarization.Journal of translational medicine · 2026Article
143 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Sarcopenia, the loss of skeletal muscle mass and function during aging, is a major contributor to disability and frailty in the elderly. Previous studies found a protective effect of reduced histone deacetylase activity in models of neurogenic muscle atrophy. Because loss of muscle mass during aging is associated with loss of motor neuron innervation, we investigated the potential for the histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor butyrate to modulate age-related muscle loss. Consistent with previous studies, we found significant loss of hindlimb muscle mass in 26-month-old C57Bl/6 female mice fed a control diet. Butyrate treatment starting at 16 months of age wholly or partially protected against muscle atrophy in hindlimb muscles. Butyrate increased muscle fiber cross-sectional area and prevented intramuscular fat accumulation in the old mice. In addition to the protective effect on muscle mass, butyrate reduced fat mass and improved glucose metabolism in 26-month-old mice as determined by a glucose tolerance test. Furthermore, butyrate increased markers of mitochondrial biogenesis in skeletal muscle and whole-body oxygen consumption without affecting activity. The increase in mass in butyrate-treated mice was not due to reduced ubiquitin-mediated proteasomal degradation. However, butyrate reduced markers of oxidative stress and apoptosis and altered antioxidant enzyme activity. Our data is the first to show a beneficial effect of butyrate on muscle mass during aging and suggests HDACs contribute to age-related muscle atrophy and may be effective targets for intervention in sarcopenia and age-related metabolic disease.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.