Figure 1.

Betaine delayed muscle loss and improved mitochondrial function in aging. (A) Mice were divided into YOU (2 months), OLD (15 months), and BET (15 months) groups and raised for 12 weeks. The YOU and OLD groups received distilled water, while the BET group received distilled water with 2% (w/v) betaine. N = 6/group. (B) The qPCR experiment showed that betaine upregulated mRNA expressions of mitochondrial ETC molecules (Sdha, Uqcrc2, MtCO, and ATP5a) and biogenesis marker (PGC‐1α). Mean ± SD, n = 4/group. (C) Representative images of WB and quantification showed that betaine treatment preserved the expression of mitochondrial ETC‐related proteins (Ndufb8, Sdha, Uqcrc2, MtCO, and ATP5a). Mean ± SD, n = 4/group. (D) Representative TEM images demonstrated the subcellular structure of the sarcomere and mitochondrial morphology among the three groups. Betaine alleviated aging‐induced wasted mitochondrial vacuoles with better arrangement in the sarcomere. N = 4/group. *P < 0.05; **P < 0.01; ***P < 0.001.