Acupuncture ameliorated skeletal muscle atrophy induced by hindlimb suspension and spiral wire immobilization in mice

Abstract

Loss of skeletal muscle mass has a profound effect on daily life for the elderly and patients with serious diseases. We hypothesized that acupuncture is an alternative strategy for preventing skeletal muscle atrophy. In this study, we investigated the effect of acupuncture on two different mouse models of skeletal muscle atrophy: hindlimb suspension (HS) and spiral wire immobilization (SWI). Acupuncture was performed on the gastrocnemius muscle for 30 minutes every day. Muscle wet weight was significantly reduced by HS for two weeks. The HS‐induced reduction in muscle mass was significantly increased by acupuncture intervention in soleus. The mRNA expression levels of atrogin‐1/MAFbx and MuRF1, which play a principal role in muscle‐specific degradation as E3 ubiquitin ligases, were significantly increased by HS. Those were significantly decreased by acupuncture intervention compared to the HS group. In a protein synthesis pathway, the expression levels of Akt1 and TRPV4 mRNAs were significantly increased by acupuncture compared to the HS group. Muscle wet weight was significantly reduced by SWI for five days. The SWI ‐induced reduction was significantly increased by acupuncture intervention compared to the SWI group in soleus. These results indicate that acupuncture treatment may have an ameliorated effect on skeletal muscle atrophy through both protein synthesis and degradation pathways.