Biomarkers of Inflammaging and Cellular Senescence in Musculoskeletal (MSK) Diseases: The Knowns and the Unknowns
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Biomarkers of Inflammaging and Cellular Senescence
2.1. Definition of Biomarkers and Their Classification
2.2. Senescence and Inflammaging Biomarkers
2.3. Emerging Biomarkers
3. The Knowns and the Unknowns
3.1. The Knowns
3.2. The Unknowns
4. Challenges, Conclusions and Future Directions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
Abbreviations
| 3D | Three-dimensional |
| AGE | Advanced glycation end-product |
| AI | Artificial intelligence |
| ARD | Age-related disease |
| BM | Bone marrow |
| CRP | C-reactive protein |
| CTX | C-terminal telopeptide |
| DDR | DNA damage response |
| GDF-15 | Growth differentiation factor 15 |
| IGF-1 | Insulin-like growth factor 1 |
| IL-1 | Interleukin-1 |
| IL-6 | Interleukin-6 |
| MSCs | Mesenchymal stromal/stem cells |
| MSK | Musculoskeletal |
| OA | Osteoarthritis |
| OP | Osteoporosis |
| PINP | Procollagen type I N-propeptide |
| PRP | Platelet-rich plasma |
| QOL | Quality of life |
| RA | Rheumatoid arthritis |
| ROS | Reactive oxygen species |
| SA-β-gal | Senescence-associated beta-galactosidase |
| SASP | Senescence-associated secretory phenotype |
| T2D | Type 2 Diabetes |
| TNFα | Tumor necrosis factor alpha |
| WHO | World Health Organization |
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| Biomarker Category | Target Organ | Key Biomarkers Investigated | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biological | Muscle | IGF-1, myostatin, IL-6, irisin, IL-15 | [29] |
| Biological | Muscle | Titin fragments (TTN), miR-451a | [30] |
| Biological | Joint | FOXO3, SIRT3, MCL1, STAG1 | [31] |
| Biological | Joint | Inflammatory mediators, ncRNA, metabolites | [32] |
| Functional | Muscle | Grip strength, gait speed | [33] |
| Digital | Overall fitness | Gait speed, stride length, variability | [34] |
| Biological | Across tissues | p21, p16 | [35] |
| Biological | Bone | klotho | [36] |
| Biological | Bone | Sirtuins | [37] |
| Investigation | Knockout Model | Aging Focus or ARD | Key Results | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hepcidin1 KO osteoporosis | Global KO mice | Bone aging/osteoporosis | Iron overload increases oxidative stress, ↓ osteoblasts, ↑ osteoclasts | [106] |
| DDR1 KO bone aging | Global KO mice | Bone microarchitecture aging | Age-dependent defects in bone remodeling, impaired osteoclastogenesis | [107] |
| IL-21 KO osteoporosis | Global KO + OVX | Postmenopausal bone loss | Reduced RANKL signaling and osteoclastogenesis | [108] |
| Akt1/2 muscle KO osteosarcopenia | Muscle-specific KO | Muscle + bone aging | Loss of muscle mass, osteopenia, reduced lifespan via insulin/FoxO pathway | [109] |
| PRMT5 myogenic KO | Myod1-Cre KO | Muscle aging/regeneration | Impaired satellite cells, ↑ FoxO1, autophagy dysregulation | [110] |
| Asb2 muscle KO | Muscle-specific KO | Sarcopenia resistance | ↑ muscle mass and strength, reduced protein degradation | [111] |
| Kl skeletal architecture in aging | Klotho-mutant | Chronological aging | Kl/kl produces an accelerated aging phenotype partially | [36] |
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Ganguly, P. Biomarkers of Inflammaging and Cellular Senescence in Musculoskeletal (MSK) Diseases: The Knowns and the Unknowns. Biomedicines 2026, 14, 1486. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines14071486
Ganguly P. Biomarkers of Inflammaging and Cellular Senescence in Musculoskeletal (MSK) Diseases: The Knowns and the Unknowns. Biomedicines. 2026; 14(7):1486. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines14071486
Chicago/Turabian StyleGanguly, Payal. 2026. "Biomarkers of Inflammaging and Cellular Senescence in Musculoskeletal (MSK) Diseases: The Knowns and the Unknowns" Biomedicines 14, no. 7: 1486. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines14071486
APA StyleGanguly, P. (2026). Biomarkers of Inflammaging and Cellular Senescence in Musculoskeletal (MSK) Diseases: The Knowns and the Unknowns. Biomedicines, 14(7), 1486. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines14071486
