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.

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.

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.

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.

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.