Abstract
Elevated concentrations of TNF‐α are associated with muscle wasting, exerted through inhibition of myogenic differentiation and enhanced apoptosis. Previously, we found that EPA, an omega‐3 fatty acid, has a protective effect against apoptosis during myogenesis and therefore we hypothesized that EPA may ameliorate the apoptotic effects of TNF‐α.To investigate this, murine C2C12 myoblasts were differentiated in culture medium containing 2% horse serum. EPA (50μM) was added at the start of differentiation and myotube formation allowed to progress for up to 5days in the presence or absence of TNF‐α (20ng/ml). Differentiation was evaluated by morphology and anti‐myosin antibody. Apoptosis was quantified by measurement of caspase activity.It was found that EPA alone had no effect on myogenesis after 5 days compared with controls, whereas TNF‐α significantly reduced (P<0.05) myosin expression after 5 days and significantly increased (P<0.001) caspase‐8 activity. The effects of TNF‐α were ameliorated for both myosin (P<0.05) and apoptosis (P<0.008) by co‐treatment with EPA.In conclusion, EPA has a protective action against the damaging effects of TNF‐α on myogenesis. Our findings support potential therapeutic applications for EPA in associated muscle wasting conditions such as ageing and during skeletal muscle regeneration following injury. Supported by the University of Salford.
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