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Low‐Frequency Electrical Stimulation (Acu‐LFES) attenuates denervation‐induced muscle atrophy by increasing muscle regeneration
Author(s) -
Wang Xiaonan H,
Klein Janet D.,
Wang haidong
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.30.1_supplement.1009.2
Subject(s) - denervation , muscle atrophy , myogenin , endocrinology , medicine , myostatin , myosin , downregulation and upregulation , myod , skeletal muscle , chemistry , myogenesis , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , gene , biochemistry
Muscle wasting occurs in a variety of clinical situations including denervation. There is no effective pharmacologic treatment for muscle wasting. In this study, we used a tibial nerve denervation model to test acupuncture plus low frequency electric stimulation (Acu‐LFES) as a therapeutic strategy for muscle atrophy. Acupuncture needles were connected to an SDZ‐II electronic acupuncture device delivering pulses at 20Hz and 1mA, the treatment is 15 minutes daily for 2 weeks. Acu‐LFES prevented soleus and plantaris muscle weight loss and increased muscle cross‐ sectional area in denervated mice. The abundance of Pax7, MyoD, myogenin and embryo myosin heavy chain was significantly increased by Acu‐LFES in both normal and denervated muscle. The number of central nuclei was increased in Acu‐LFES treated muscle fibers. Phosphorylation of Akt was downregulated by denervation leading to a decline in muscle mass; however, Acu‐LFES prevented the denervation‐induced decline by upregulation of the IGF‐1 signaling pathway. Acu‐LFES reduced the abundance of muscle catabolic proteins forkhead O transcription factor and myostatin, contributing to the attenuated muscle atrophy. Acu‐LFES stimulated the expression of macrophage markers (F4/80, IL‐1b and arginase‐1) and inflammatory cytokines (IL‐6, IFNg and TNFa) in normal and denervated muscle. Acu‐LFES also stimulated production of the muscle specific microRNAs miR‐1 and miR‐206. We conclude that increased muscle regeneration is associated with the Acu‐LFES sparing of muscle mass in denervation‐induced skeletal muscle atrophy. Upregulation of IGF‐1, downregulation of myostatin and alteration of microRNAs contribute to Acu‐LFES‐induced myogenesis. Support or Funding Information NIH/NIAMS: R01 AR060268