Mitochondrial dysfunction in type 2 diabetes:A neglected path to skeletal muscle atrophy

Over the course of several decades,robust research has firmly established the significance of mitochondrial pathology as a central contributor to the onset of skeletal muscle atrophy in individuals with diabetes.However,the specific intricacies governing this process remain elusive.Extensive evidence highlights that individuals with diabetes regularly confront the severe consequences of skeletal muscle degradation.Deciphering the sophisticated mechanisms at the core of this pathology requires a thorough and meticulous exploration into the nuanced factors intricately associated with mitochondrial dysfunction.

Skeletal muscle as a molecular and cellular biomarker of disease progression in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis:a narrative review

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a fatal multisystemic neurodegenerative disease with motor neurons being a primary target.Although progressive weakness is a hallmark feature of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis,there is considerable heterogeneity,including clinical presentation,progression,and the underlying triggers for disease initiation.Based on longitudinal studies with families harboring amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-associated gene mutations,it has become apparent that overt disease is preceded by a prodromal phase,possibly in years,where compensatory mechanisms delay symptom onset.Since 85-90%of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is sporadic,there is a strong need for identifying biomarkers that can detect this prodromal phase as motor neurons have limited capacity for regeneration.Current Food and Drug Administration-approved therapies work by slowing the degenerative process and are most effective early in the disease.Skeletal muscle,including the neuromuscular junction,manifests abnormalities at the earliest stages of the disease,before motor neuron loss,making it a promising source for identifying biomarkers of the prodromal phase.The accessibility of muscle through biopsy provides a lens into the distal motor system at earlier stages and in real time.The advent of“omics”technology has led to the identification of numerous dysregulated molecules in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis muscle,ranging from coding and non-coding RNAs to proteins and metabolites.This technology has opened the door for identifying biomarkers of disease activity and providing insight into disease mechanisms.A major challenge is correlating the myriad of dysregulated molecules with clinical or histological progression and understanding their relevance to presymptomatic phases of disease.There are two major goals of this review.The first is to summarize some of the biomarkers identified in human amyotrophic lateral sclerosis muscle that have a clinicopathological correlation with disease activity,evidence of a similar dysregulation in the SOD1G93A mouse during presymptomatic stages,and evidence of progressive change during disease progression.The second goal is to review the molecular pathways these biomarkers reflect and their potential role in mitigating or promoting disease progression,and as such,their potential as therapeutic targets in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Apoptosis in skeletal muscle and its relevance to atrophy

Apoptosis is necessary for maintaining the integrity of proliferative tissues, such as epithelial cells of the gastrointestinal system. The role of apoptosis in post mitotic tissues, such as skeletal muscle, is less well defined. Apoptosis during muscle atrophy occurs in both myonuclei and other muscle cell types. Apoptosis of myonuclei likely contributes to the loss of muscle mass, but the mechanisms underlying this process are largely unknown. Caspase-dependent as well as -independent pathways have been implicated and the mode by which atrophy is induced likely determines the apoptotic mechanisms that are utilized. It remains to be determined whether a decrease in apoptosis will alleviate atrophy and distinct research strategies may be required for different causes of skeletal muscle loss.

Icaritin requires phosphatidylinositol 3kinase/Akt signaling to counteract skeletal muscle atrophy following mechanical unloading

OBJECTIVE Skeletal muscle undergoes rapid and profound atrophy in response to decreased mechanical loading,e.g.,limb immobilization and bed rest.Phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase(PI3K)/Akt signaling pathway is critical for regulating the balance between protein synthesis and degradation during disuse/inactivity-induced muscle atrophy.The present study aimed to investigate whether natural product Icaritin(ICT)required PI3K/Akt signaling to exert counteractive effect on skeletal muscle atrophy following mechanical unloading.METHODS Two oral dosages of ICT(80and 120mg·kg-1·d-1)were administrated daily to adult male rats with or without daily injection of PI3K/Akt signaling inhibitor wortmannin(15μg·kg-1·d-1)during 28-d hindlimb suspension(HS).Ex vivo muscle functional testing,histological and immunohistochemical analysis were performed to determine the changes of soleus muscle function,mean muscle fiber cross-sectional area(CSA)and fiber type distribution.Western blot and real-time PCR analysis were also performed to evaluate the protein or mRNA expression of the markers involved in PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.RESULTS After 28-d HS,soleus muscle underwent profound muscle atrophy(-52.7% muscle mass vs.pre-HS baseline).The high dose ICT treatment significantly attenuated the decreases in soleus muscle mass(+22.6% vs.HS),muscle fiber CSA(+52.8% vs.HS),as well as the muscle functional testing parameters during the unloading.Molecularly,the high dose ICT treatment significantly attenuated the decreases in protein synthesis markers at protein levels(phosphorylation of Akt and its downstream proteins)during the unloading,whereas the increases in protein degradation markers at mRNA(atrogin-1and MuRF-1)and protein(nuclear FOXO1 and FOXO3a)levels during the unloading were significantly attenuated by the high dose ICT treatment.The low dose ICT treatment moderately attenuated the above changes induced by the unloading.Mechanistically,Wortmannin could abolish the above effects of ICT.CONCLUSION ICT requires participation of PI3K/Akt signaling to counteract skeletal muscle atrophy following mechanical unloading in a dose-dependent manner.

Overexpression of MyoD Attenuates Denervated Rat Skeletal Muscle Atrophy and Dysfunction

Nerve injury commonly contributes to irreversible functional impairment, reconstruction of the function of muscle is big challenge. In denervated skeletal muscle, therapid expression of MyoD mRNA and protein also occurs during early postdenervation, which suggested that the function of denervation-induced MyoD may be to prevent denervation-induced skeletal muscle atrophy. However, the detail mechanism is not clear. Therefore, in this study, we established a stable-transfected MyoD L6 cell line. After the operation for cutting the rats’ tibial nerve, the MyoD-L6 cells were injected in the gastrocnemius, the function of the gastronemius was monitored. It was found that injected the MyoD-L6 cells could attenuate the muscle atrophy and dysfunction. Therefore, overexpression of MyoD could serve as a new therapy strategy to cure denervation-induced dysfunction of skeletal muscle.

The role of 5′-adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase(AMPK)in skeletal muscle atrophy

As a key coordinator of metabolism,AMP-activated protein kinase(AMPK)is vitally involved in skeletal muscle maintenance.AMPK exerts its cellular effects through its function as a serine/threonine protein kinase by regulating many downstream targets and plays important roles in the development and growth of skeletal muscle.AMPK is activated by phosphorylation and exerts its function as a kinase in many processes,including synthesis and degradation of proteins,mitochondrial biogenesis,glucose uptake,and fatty acid and cholesterol metabolism.Skeletal muscle atrophy is a result of various diseases or disorders and is characterized by a decrease in muscle mass.The pathogenesis and therapeutic strategies of skeletal muscle atrophy are still under investigation.In this review,we discuss the role of AMPK in skeletal muscle metabolism and atrophy.We also discuss targeting AMPK for skeletal muscle treatment,including exercise,AMPK activators including 5-amino-4-imidazolecarboxamide ribonucleoside and metformin,and low-level lasers.These studies show the important roles of AMPK in regulating muscle metabolism and function;thus,the treatment of skeletal muscle atrophy needs to take into account the roles of AMPK.

Expression of androgen receptor target genes in skeletal muscle

We aimed to determine the mechanisms of the anabolic actions of androgens in skeletal muscle by investigating potential androgen receptor （AR）-regulated genes in in vitro and in vivo models. The expression of the myogenic regulatory factor myogenin was significantly decreased in skeletal muscle from testosterone-treated orchidectomized male mice compared to control orchidectomized males, and was increased in muscle from male AR knockout mice that lacked DNA binding activity （AR△ZF2） versus wildtype mice, demonstrating that myogenin is repressed by the androgen/AR pathway. The ubiquitin ligase Fbxo32 was repressed by 12 h dihydrotestosterone treatment in human skeletal muscle cell myoblasts, and c-Myc expression was decreased in testosterone-treated orchidectomized male muscle compared to control orchidectomized male muscle, and increased in AR△ZF2 muscle. The expression of a group of genes that regulate the transition from myoblast proliferation to differentiation, Tceal7, p57Kip2, IEf2 and calcineurin Aa, was increased in AR△ZF2 muscle, and the expression of all but p57kip2 was also decreased in testosterone-treated orchidectomized male muscle compared to control orchidectomized male muscle. We conclude that in males, androgens act via the AR in part to promote peak muscle mass by maintaining myoblasts in the proliferative state and delaying the transition to differentiation during muscle growth and development, and by suppressing ubiquitin ligase-mediated atrophy pathways to preserve muscle mass in adult muscle.

Protective Effects of Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor on Denervated Skeletal Muscle

Summary: To study the effects of ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) on denervated skeletal muscle atrophy and to find a new approach to ameliorate atrophy of denervated muscle, a model was established by cutting the right sciatic nerve in 36 Wistar mice, with the left side serving as control. Then they were divided into two groups randomly. CNTF (1 U/ml) 0.1 ml was injected into the right tibial muscle every day in experimental group, and saline was used into another group for comparison. The muscle wet weight, muscle total protein, Ca 2+, physiological response and morphology were analyzed on the 7th, 14th and 28th day after operation. Our results showed that compared to control group, there was a significant increase in muscle wet weight, total protein, Ca 2+, muscle fiber cross-section area in CNTF group (P<0.05). CNTF could ameliorate the decrease of tetanic tension (PO), post-tetanic twitch potentiation (PTP), and the prolonged muscle relaxation time (RT) caused by denervation (P<0.05). The motor end-plate areas 7 days and 14 days after denervation was similar (P>0.05), but significantly larger 28 days after the denervation (P<0.05). Our results suggest that CNTF exerts myotrophic effects by attenuating the morphological and functional changes associated with denervation of rat muscles and has protective effects on denervated muscle and motor end plate.

Skeletal muscle cell apoptosis following motor nerve injury versus sensory nerve injury

Skeletal muscle atrophy inevitably occurs in denervated skeletal muscle, and cell apoptosis plays an important role in skeletal muscle atrophy and degeneration. The present study established rat models of simple nerve injury by transecting the ventral or dorsal spinal nerve root and observed rat skeletal muscle cell apoptosis following simple motor nerve injury versus simple sensory nerve injury. Following skeletal muscle denervation for 10 weeks, cell apoptosis was detected in skeletal muscle, which was accompanied by obvious changes in rat behavior and electrophysiological responses. In addition, changes in cross-sectional area and average gray-scale of motor endplates of the gastrocnemius muscle were analyzed following sciatic nerve injury and motor nerve injury. Cell nuclei in denervated skeletal muscle tissue were more densely arranged than in normal skeletal muscle tissue. Cell nuclei were most dense in the sciatic nerve injury group, followed by the motor nerve injury group and the sensory nerve injury group. Fas/FasL expression and the number of apoptotic cells increased in denervated skeletal muscle, and apoptosis-related changes were observed. These findings suggested that motor and sensory nerves provided trophic actions following skeletal muscle and motor nerve injury, resulting in a greater influence on skeletal muscle atrophy than sensory nerve injury. Therefore, reconstruction of motor nerves should be preferentially considered for treating denervation-induced skeletal muscle atrophy.

Glucocorticoid-induced alterations in titin, nebulin, myosin heavy chain isoform content and viscoelastic properties of rat skeletal muscle

Viscoelastic properties of skeletal muscle are associated with a complex network of cytoskeletal proteins where titin and nebulin play a substantial role. The need for evaluation of muscle viscoelastic properties is widely accepted in clinical use to evaluate the effect of treatment or progression of muscle pathology (atrophy). We tested the hypothesis that the viscoelastic properties (elasticity, tone and stiffness) change in atrophied muscles with concomitant changes in cytoskeletal proteins (titin, nebulin) and contractile protein (myosin heavy chain) proportion. Sixteen 24- week-old male rats of the Wistar strain were randomly allocated to two groups: dexamethasone group treated each day for 10 consecutive days with dexamethasone in order to induce atrophy and control group. Skeletal muscle viscoelastic properties (elasticity, tone and stiffness) were determined using a myotonometer. Titin, nebulin and myosin heavy chain content were quantified using SDS-PAGE electrophoresis. We found that glucocorticoid-induced muscle atrophy is accompanied by reduced elasticity and increased tone and stiffness, with concomitant changes in titin, nebulin and myosin heavy chain con- tent. The elasticity decreased by 10.9% (P P < 0.05), and stiffness was significantly lower in dexamethasone group (627.3 N/m vs 758.6 N/m);(P < 0.05). Compared with the control group, the content of titin, nebulin and myosin heavy chain in atrophied muscle was 76.4%, 70.6% and 82.3%, respectively. Our results may lead to a better understanding of the mechanism of muscle atrophy and provide better guidance for rehabilitation practices and help to find rational therapeutic intervention in the future.

Role of the Notch Signaling Pathway in Fibrosis of Denervated Skeletal Muscle

In order to investigate the role of the Notch signaling pathway in skeletal muscle fibrosis after nerve injury, 60 Sprague-Dawley rats were selected and divided randomly into a control and two experimental groups. Group A served as controls without any treatment. Rats in groups B were injected intraperitoneally with 0.2 mL PBS and those in group C were injected intraperitoneally with 0.2 mL PBS+100 ymol/L, 0.2 mL N-[N-(3,5-difluorophenacetyl)-l-alanyl]- S-phenylglycine t-butyl ester (DAPT, a gamma-secretase inhibitor that suppresses Notch signaling) respectively, on postoperative days 1, 3, 7, 10, and 14 in a model of denervation-induced skeletal muscle fibrosis by right sciatic nerve transection. Five rats from each group were euthanized on postoperative days 1, 7, 14, and 28 to collect the right gastrocnemii, and hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining, immunohistochemistry test, real-time PCR, and Western blotting were performed to assess connective tissue hyperplasia and fibroblast density as well as expression of Notch 1, Jagged 1, and Notch downstream molecules Hes 1 and collagen I (COL I) on day 28. There was no significant difference in HE-stained fibroblast density between group B and C on postoperative day 1. However, fibroblast density was significantly higher in group B than in group C on postoperative days 7, 14, and 28. Notch 1, Jagged 1, Hes 1, and COL I proteins in the gastrocnemius were expressed at very low levels in group A but at high levels in group B. Expression levels of these proteins were significantly lower in group C than in group B (P<0.05), but they were higher in group C than in group A (P<0.05) on postoperative day 28. We are led to conclude that locking the Notch signaling pathway inhibits fibrosis progression of denervated skeletal muscle. Thus, it may be a new approach for treatment of fibrosis of denervated skeletal muscle.

Denervated muscle extract promotes recovery of muscle atrophy through activation of satellite cells. An experimental study

Purpose: The objective of the present study was to determine whether a denervated muscle extract(DmEx) could stimulate satellite cell response in denervated muscle.Methods: Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups: normal rats, normal rats treated with DmEx, denervated rats, and denervated rats treated with DmEx. The soleus muscles were examined using immunohistochemical techniques for proliferating cell nuclear antigen, desmin, and myogenic differentiation antigen(MyoD), and electron microscopy was used for analysis of the satellite cells.Results: The results indicate that while denervation causes activation of satellite cells, DmEx also induces myogenic differentiation of cells localized in the interstitial space and the formation of new muscle fibers. Although DmEx had a similar effect in nature on innervated and denervated muscles, this response was of greater magnitude in denervated vs. intact muscles.Conclusion: Our study shows that treatment of denervated rats with DmEx potentiates the myogenic response in atrophic denervated muscles.

Transferrin receptor 1 plays an important role in muscle development and denervation-induced muscular atrophy

Previous studies demonstrate an accumulation of transferrin and transferrin receptor 1(TfR1) in regenerating peripheral nerves.However, the expression and function of transferrin and TfR1 in the denervated skeletal muscle remain poorly understood.In this study, a mouse model of denervation was produced by complete tear of the left brachial plexus nerve.RNA-sequencing revealed that transferrin expression in the denervated skeletal muscle was upregulated, while TfR1 expression was downregulated.We also investigated the function of TfR1 during development and in adult skeletal muscles in mice with inducible deletion or loss of TfR1.The ablation of TfR1 in skeletal muscle in early development caused severe muscular atrophy and early death.In comparison, deletion of TfR1 in adult skeletal muscles did not affect survival or glucose metabolism, but caused skeletal muscle atrophy and motor functional impairment, similar to the muscular atrophy phenotype observed after denervation.These findings suggest that TfR1 plays an important role in muscle development and denervation-induced muscular atrophy.This study was approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of Beijing Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, China(approval No.SYXK 2017-C023) on June 1, 2018.

GDNF to the rescue:GDNF delivery effects on motor neurons and nerves,and muscle re-innervation after peripheral nerve injuries

Peripheral nerve injuries commonly occur due to trauma,like a traffic accident.Peripheral nerves get severed,causing motor neuron death and potential muscle atrophy.The current golden standard to treat peripheral nerve lesions,especially lesions with large(≥3 cm)nerve gaps,is the use of a nerve autograft or reimplantation in cases where nerve root avulsions occur.If not tended early,degeneration of motor neurons and loss of axon regeneration can occur,leading to loss of function.Although surgical procedures exist,patients often do not fully recover,and quality of life deteriorates.Peripheral nerves have limited regeneration,and it is usually mediated by Schwann cells and neurotrophic factors,like glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor,as seen in Wallerian degeneration.Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor is a neurotrophic factor known to promote motor neuron survival and neurite outgrowth.Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor is upregulated in different forms of nerve injuries like axotomy,sciatic nerve crush,and compression,thus creating great interest to explore this protein as a potential treatment for peripheral nerve injuries.Exogenous glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor has shown positive effects in regeneration and functional recovery when applied in experimental models of peripheral nerve injuries.In this review,we discuss the mechanism of repair provided by Schwann cells and upregulation of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor,the latest findings on the effects of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor in different types of peripheral nerve injuries,delivery systems,and complementary treatments(electrical muscle stimulation and exercise).Understanding and overcoming the challenges of proper timing and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor delivery is paramount to creating novel treatments to tend to peripheral nerve injuries to improve patients'quality of life.

Exosome-mediated regulatory mechanisms in skeletal muscle:a narrative review

Skeletal muscle plays a paramount role in physical activity,metabolism,and energy balance,while its homeostasis is being challenged by multiple unfavorable factors such as injury,aging,or obesity.Exosomes,a subset of extracellular vesicles,are now recognized as essential mediators of intercellular communication,holding great clinical potential in the treatment of skeletal muscle diseases.Herein,we outline the recent research progress in exosomal isolation,characterization,and mechanism of action,and emphatically discuss current advances in exosomes derived from multiple organs and tissues,and engineered exosomes regarding the regulation of physiological and pathological development of skeletal muscle.These remarkable advances expand our understanding of myogenesis and muscle diseases.Meanwhile,the engineered exosome,as an endogenous nanocarrier combined with advanced design methodologies of biomolecules,will help to open up innovative therapeutic perspectives for the treatment of muscle diseases.

Alterations in renin-angiotensin receptors are not responsible for exercise preconditioning of skeletal muscle fibers

Endurance exercise training promotes a protective phenotype in skeletal muscle known as exercise pre-conditioning.Exercise preconditioning protects muscle fibers against a variety of threats including inactivity-induced muscle atrophy.The mechanism(s)responsible for exercise preconditioning remain unknown and are explored in these experiments.Specifically,we investigated the impact of endurance exercise training on key components of the renin-angiotensin system(RAS).The RAS was targeted because activation of the classical axis of the RAS pathway via angiotensinⅡtypeⅠreceptors(AT1Rs)promotes muscle atrophy whereas activation of the non-classical RAS axis via Mas receptors(MasRs)inhibits the atrophic signaling of the classical RAS pathway.Guided by prior studies,we hypothesized that an exercise-induced decrease in AT1Rs and/or increases in MasRs in skeletal muscle fibers is a potential mechanism responsible for exercise preconditioning.Following endurance exercise training in rats,we examined the abundance of AT1Rs and MasRs in both locomotor and respiratory muscles.Our results indicate that endurance exercise training does not alter the protein abundance of AT1Rs or MasRs in muscle fibers from the diaphragm,plantaris,and soleus muscles compared to sedentary controls(p>0.05).Furthermore,fluorescent angiotensinⅡ(AngⅡ)binding analyses confirm our results that exercise pre-conditioning does not alter the protein abundance of AT1Rs in the diaphragm,plantaris,and soleus(p>0.05).This study confirms that exercise-induced changes in RAS receptors are not a key mechanism that contributes to the beneficial effects of exercise preconditioning in skeletal muscle fibers.

糖原贮积病Ⅱ型1例

报告1例糖原贮积病Ⅱ型患者。患者为26岁男性,青年期表现为四肢骨骼肌萎缩无力及心肌受累,肌酶、肌电图、下肢磁共振及肌肉病理活检提示肌炎改变,外周血淋巴细胞滤纸片酶学检查显示酸性α-葡萄糖苷酶(acid alpha glucosidase,GAA)活性部分缺乏,最终检测GAA基因确诊为糖原贮积病Ⅱ型,基因变异c.-32-13T>G和c.1551+2T>G分别来自母亲、父亲。分析该患者发病特点,可认识并积累关于糖原贮积病Ⅱ型病例资料,加深对罕见的常染色体隐性遗传病理解。

铜过载调控的细胞死亡方式在骨骼肌衰老萎缩中的作用

骨骼肌衰老是机体衰老的相关生物学事件,以质量丢失和功能衰退为显著特征,金属组学尤其是铜金属组学在其中的功能角色正日益得到关注。铜金属组学在衰老状态下表现为铜过载,其触发的毒理效应具有激活骨骼肌细胞中发生凋亡、焦亡、铁死亡、铜死亡及并促进α突触核蛋白聚集的特异性分子潜力,相关的信号级联最终可诱导衰老肌纤维中蛋白质、线粒体和卫星细胞等内容物代谢失衡及裂解丢失,同时可触发神经肌肉接头(neuromuscular junction, NMJ)退化和异常,是骨骼肌衰老萎缩的新型病理生理机制。本综述首次系统地解码骨骼肌衰老萎缩调控网络中铜的分子生物学功能、衰老骨骼肌中铜过载的潜在机制,以及铜过载诱导的多种细胞死亡形式例如凋亡、焦亡、铁死亡及铜死亡的信号转导途径在骨骼肌衰老萎缩中的新角色,为临床上应用铜螯合改善和治疗骨骼肌衰老萎缩提供潜在分子靶点和方案选择。

骨骼肌MRI在脊髓性肌萎缩症中的临床应用进展

脊髓性肌萎缩症(SMA)是一种发病率高并严重威胁儿童生命健康的遗传性神经肌肉疾病。MRI是神经肌肉疾病的主要影像检查方法,常规MRI能可视化肌肉形态学特征及病理改变,功能MRI能定量评估肌肉病变程度。骨骼肌MRI在评估SMA肌肉病变、治疗效果、吞咽功能及监测SMA进展中具有一定的临床价值。就骨骼肌MRI在SMA中的临床应用和研究进展进行综述。

针刺脾俞对衰老大鼠腰骨骼肌萎缩Akt/NF-κB信号通路的影响

目的观察针刺脾俞对衰老大鼠Akt/NF-κB信号通路的影响,探讨针刺脾俞改善骨骼肌萎缩以防治腰痛的可能机制。方法将32只雄性SD大鼠随机分为空白组、模型组、针刺组、阳性药物组,每组8只。空白组大鼠每日项背部皮下注射0.9%生理盐水[300 mg/(kg·d)],其余3组大鼠每日项背部皮下注射等量的D-半乳糖,连续12周。第9周开始,针刺组取双侧脾俞进行针刺,阳性药物组采用混合氨基酸灌胃,连续4周。用HE染色对骨骼肌组织形态进行观察,TdT-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling(TUNEL)法检测骨骼肌细胞凋亡情况,ELISA检测IL-1β、IL-6T、NF-α释放量,Western Blot检测Akt、p-Akt、NF-κB、p-NF-κB的蛋白表达水平。结果与空白组比较,模型组骨骼肌细胞间隙变宽,部分肌细胞圆形化,肌细胞凋亡数量增多,炎性因子IL-1β、IL-6T、NF-α水平显著上升(P<0.001、P<0.01和P<0.05),p-Akt、NF-κB、p-NF-κB蛋白表达水平升高(P<0.001);与模型组比较,针刺组和阳性药物组,肌间隙窄,肌细胞排列更紧密,凋亡数量减少,炎性因子IL-1β、IL-6T、NF-α水平下降(P<0.01、P<0.01和P<0.05),p-Akt、NF-κB、p-NF-κB蛋白表达水平下调(P<0.001)。结论针刺脾俞可改善D-半乳糖诱导的骨骼肌衰老,并通过抑制Akt/NF-κB信号通路,降低炎症反应,减少骨骼肌细胞凋亡,这可能是针刺脾俞治疗腰痛的潜在作用机制之一。