Cannabinoid receptor 1 expression is higher in muscle of old vs. young males, and increases upon resistance exercise in older adults

Aged skeletal muscle undergoes metabolic and structural alterations eventually resulting in a loss of muscle strength and mass, i.e. age-related sarcopenia. Therefore, novel targets for muscle growth purposes in elderly are needed. Here, we explored the role of the cannabinoid system in muscle plasticity through the expression of muscle cannabinoid receptors (CBs) in young and old humans. The CB(1) expression was higher (+ 25%; p = 0.04) in muscle of old (≥ 65 years) vs. young adults (20–27 years), whereas CB(2) was not differently expressed. Furthermore, resistance exercise tended to increase the CB(1) (+ 11%; p = 0.055) and CB(2) (+ 37%; p = 0.066) expression in muscle of older adults. Interestingly, increases in the expression of CB(2) following resistance exercise positively correlated with changes in key mechanisms of muscle homeostasis, such as catabolism (FOXO3a) and regenerative capacity (Pax7, MyoD). This study for the first time shows that CB(1) is differentially expressed with aging and that changes in CB(2) expression upon resistance exercise training correlate with changes in mediators that play a central role in muscle plasticity. These data confirm earlier work in cells and mice showing that the cannabinoid system might orchestrate muscle growth, which is an incentive to further explore CB-based strategies that might counteract sarcopenia.