Boosting an Expression of Enzyme Produced by the Muscles Can Fight Atrophy

(Photo: Łukasz Dyłka )

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University of Sao Paolo researchers presented that the stimulating expression of a naturally reduced protein by the human body can fight the loss of skeletal muscle mass. According to the researchers, the phenomena happen when people age but can intensify with a neurodegenerative or inflammatory disease or patients who spend a long time in intensive care units or ICU.

According to Eureka Alert, ten days in the ICU are estimated to result in the loss of up to twenty percent of muscle mass in the legs and important respiratory muscle like the diaphragm. They added that no drug or treatment is effective for cases such as this that has no severe side effect. They emphasized that only breathing exercise, electrostimulation, and physiotherapy can safely reverse ICU-acquired muscle atrophy. Ribeirão Preto Medical School (FMRP-USP) Physiology Department's Professor and co-author of the study, Luiz Carlos Nevagantes said they could demonstrate the overexpression of protein kinase (PKA) significantly improved muscle resistance to fatigue in mouse models. He added that PKA both suppresses FoxO proteins responsible for activating genes connected to atrophy and heightens the formation of muscle fibers with an amplified respiratory capacity, which encourages growth and better resistance to exhaustion in specific muscles.

In a statement, Professor Nevagantes said that PKA in the muscle, which consists of stimulating anabolism and strength, is unique to all known proteins, making it a strategic target of the study to treat neuromuscular disease and pathological conditions that lead to weakness and muscle atrophy.

Result

Eureka Alert also mentioned in a study where FMR-USP discovered that adrenalin does not only break lipids and carbohydrates as energy sources, but it also prevents degradation of protein in muscle fibers. Professor Nevagantes said that adrenalin has always been considered as a hormone that musters energy, not one that prevented excessive breakage of protein fibers. They added that the researchers studied the therapeutic potential of drugs like the hormone but without managing to avoid adverse side effects. Professor Nevagantes said that PKA is activated by adrenalin. However, it is found inside muscle cells, and adrenaline is a circulating hormone that enabled them to target PKA's effect in cell nuclei. The involvement gives rise to overexpression of PKA catalytic subunits and progressive oxidative fiber conversion, noticeably refining muscle fatigue resistance. According to Nevagantes, their study proves that using electroporation that endogenous PKA inhibits loss of muscle mass. He added that they plan to study medications that activate PKA and conduct more studies in clinical and experimental models.

What is Muscle Atrophy?

According to Medline Plus, muscle atrophy is the thinning or loss of muscle fibers. Healthline added that when a disease or injury makes it hard for the individual to move an arm or a leg, the lack of mobility can result in muscle wasting. Over time, the muscle in that arm or leg can appear to be smaller but not shorter than the one that can be moved. Health Grades furthered that some of the conditions that cause atrophy to the muscles are rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. They added that injuries could also cause this condition.

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