Calorie Restriction Attenuates the Age-Associated Decrease in α Subunit of F1 ATP Synthase Activity in the Mouse Skeletal Muscles

Objective: In the present investigation, the effect of a long-term caloric restriction (CR) on the age-associated decrease in enzymatic activities of the mitochondrial α subunit of F1 ATP synthase in the mouse skeletal muscle was studied in a strain known to exhibit CR-mediated extension of life spans. Design and Method: Animals were randomly assigned to either control or CR groups and fed on an ad libitum or 60% of the food consumed by the control group, respectively. The CR group diet was enriched in vitamin content in order to balance the micronutrient intake between the groups. After 18-months on these diets, simple enzymatic assays were used for analyzing the status of enzymatic activity of ATPase in both the control as well as CR animals (n=8 from adult AL control and CR groups, respectively, each animal being treated separately). Results: It was observed that a CR-diet regime on C57BL/6Nnia strain of mice resulted in significant augmentation of activity (18.8%) of the mitochondrial α subunit of F1 ATP synthase with respect to the age-matched controls animals on an ad libitum diet. Conclusion: Since skeletal muscle is a tissue whose activity is dependent on an abundant supply of ATP, our experiments indicate a possible causal role of CR in the observed healthier lifespan and better muscular coordination of animals on CR diet regime than the ad libitum controls.