Semaglutide ameliorates aortic endothelial cell dysfunction in sarcopenia through the SIRT1/cGAS-STING signaling axis

  • Free Radic Biol Med. 2026 Jul:250:352-369. doi: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2026.04.011.
Yang Liu  1 Weiyue Sun  2 Ziteng Huang  3 Gan Qiao  4 Linyi Tang  5 Ting Huang  5 Xinglin Wang  5 Liyun Li  6 Xin Zhang  6 Xiangming Ye  7 Ping Yang  8 Haoran Wu  9
Affiliations
  • 1. Department of Cardiology, The Affiliated Guangyuan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Sichuan, China.
  • 2. Center for Rehabilitation Medicine, Rehabilitation & Sports Medicine Research Institute of Zhejiang Province, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, Affiliated People's Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
  • 3. Department of Anesthesiology, The Affiliated Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China.
  • 4. Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China.
  • 5. Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China.
  • 6. Department of Cardiology, The Affiliated Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China.
  • 7. Center for Rehabilitation Medicine, Rehabilitation & Sports Medicine Research Institute of Zhejiang Province, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, Affiliated People's Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
  • 8. Department of Cardiology, The Affiliated Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
  • 9. Department of Cardiology, The Affiliated Guangyuan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Sichuan, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
Abstract

Sarcopenia associated with aging is a significant health issue affecting the quality of life in the elderly, yet research on effective treatments remains insufficient. This study aims to investigate the therapeutic effects and mechanisms of Semaglutide (Sema) in D-gal-induced aging-related sarcopenia and endothelial cell senescence. By establishing D-gal-induced mouse models and human aortic endothelial cells (HAEC), and employing methods such as grip strength tests, ELISA, and immunohistochemistry, the therapeutic efficacy and underlying mechanisms of Sema were systematically evaluated. The results demonstrated that Sema significantly improved grip strength in D-gal-induced mice and reduced serum levels of IL-1β and TNF-α, indicating its protective role against sarcopenia. Furthermore, Sema effectively alleviated endothelial cell senescence and improved endothelial function, with the underlying mechanisms potentially involving the upregulation of SIRT1 expression and inhibition of the cGAS-STING signaling pathway activation. This study systematically reveals, for the first time, the therapeutic potential of Sema in aging-related sarcopenia, especially its protective effect against aortic endothelial senescence, providing new perspectives and evidence for its clinical application.

Keywords
Endothelial cell senescence; SIRT1; Sarcopenia; Semaglutide; cGAS-STING signaling pathway.
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