Evidence mapPaperPMID 41631960Full record

ArticleJournal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle2026

Obesity Reprogrammes Adipose Extracellular Vesicles to Induce Muscle Atrophy via miR-150-5p-Mediated Transcriptional Silencing.

Joshua M J Price, Michael Macleod, Thomas Nicholson, Caitlin M Ditchfield, Bethy Airstone, Natalie Lachlan-Jiraskova, Edward T Davis, Kostas Tsintzas, Simon W Jones

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Observational
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Joshua M J PriceMRC Versus Arthritis Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research, Department of Inflammation and Ageing, School of Infection, Inflammation & Immunology, College of Medicine and Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9950-7992
Michael MacleodMRC Versus Arthritis Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research, Department of Inflammation and Ageing, School of Infection, Inflammation & Immunology, College of Medicine and Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
Thomas NicholsonMRC Versus Arthritis Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research, Department of Inflammation and Ageing, School of Infection, Inflammation & Immunology, College of Medicine and Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
Caitlin M DitchfieldMRC Versus Arthritis Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research, Department of Inflammation and Ageing, School of Infection, Inflammation & Immunology, College of Medicine and Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
Bethy AirstoneSchool of Biological and Medical Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Headington Campus, Oxford, UK.
Natalie Lachlan-JiraskovaSchool of Biological and Medical Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Headington Campus, Oxford, UK.
Edward T DavisMRC Versus Arthritis Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research, Department of Inflammation and Ageing, School of Infection, Inflammation & Immunology, College of Medicine and Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
Kostas TsintzasMRC Versus Arthritis Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, UK.
Simon W JonesMRC Versus Arthritis Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research, Department of Inflammation and Ageing, School of Infection, Inflammation & Immunology, College of Medicine and Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6785-2310

Funding

Arthritis UK GrantReferences21812Dubrowsky Legacy FoundationMyAgeUKRI - Medical Research Council GrantReferenceUKRI - Medical Research Council MR/W026961/1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSarcopenic obesity, where excess body fat coexists with reduced muscle mass and function, is becoming increasingly common in ageing populations and contributes to poor physical and metabolic health. Although adipose tissue-secreted factors are implicated in muscle decline, the specific mechanisms remain unclear. Extracellular vesicles (EVs), which carry regulatory cargo such as microRNAs (miRNAs) between cells, may play a key role in this adipose-muscle communication.

methodsEVs were isolated from adipose-conditioned media (ACM) collected from lean and non-lean human donors using ultracentrifugation. Donors were grouped by BMI (lean: 20.7-24.4; non-lean: 25.3-39.3) and age (younger: 31-56 years; older: 60-84 years). EVs were characterised using nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA), ExoView, nanoscale flow cytometry (CytoFLEX Nano) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Primary human myoblasts were differentiated into myotubes and treated for 24 h with lean or non-lean EVs (1.3 × 10

resultsNon-lean EVs significantly reduced myotube thickness in older adult-derived myotubes compared to both untreated controls (8.7 ± 1.66 μm vs. 12.4 ± 1.72 μm, p < 0.01) and lean EV-treated myotubes (8.7 ± 1.66 μm vs. 13.2 ± 3.84 μm, p < 0.05), indicating a donor BMI-specific effect. This atrophy was restricted to myotubes derived from older donors. The same experimental approach was applied to younger adult-derived myotubes; no reduction in myotube thickness was observed. MAFbx expression was significantly increased in response to non-lean EVs (p < 0.05). RNA-seq revealed 471 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in EV-treated versus untreated cells and 293 DEGs between lean and non-lean EV conditions, with enrichment in inflammatory (TNF and IL1B), oxidative stress, mitochondrial and chromatin pathways. Small RNA-seq identified seven differentially expressed miRNAs (annotated using miRBase release 22.1), including miR-150-5p and miR-193b-5p, both significantly upregulated in non-lean EVs and validated by qPCR. Inhibiting miR-150-5p partially rescued myotube thickness (10.5 ± 1.37 μm vs. 8.7 ± 1.66 μm, p < 0.05) and reduced MAFbx expression.

conclusionsEVs from non-lean adipose tissue drive muscle atrophy and transcriptional changes in an age-dependent manner. These effects are partially mediated by miR-150-5p, highlighting a mechanistic role for EV cargo in adipose-muscle signalling. Targeting EV-derived miRNAs may offer a novel strategy to combat muscle loss in obesity and ageing.

Indexed as

Adipose TissueExtracellular VesiclesGene SilencingMicroRNAsMuscular AtrophyObesityAdultAgedAged, 80 and overFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedMicroRNAsMIR150, humanadiposeatrophyextracellular vesiclesmiRNAobesitysarcopenia

Identifiers

PMID41631960
PMCPMC12866798

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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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 Socratic graph.