Skeletal muscle amino acid pool following the administration of Doxorubicin chemotherapy

Abstract

The purpose of the current study was to determine the effect of Doxorubicin (DOX) administration on the skeletal muscle amino acids. Male Sprague Dawley rats received either a 1.5 or 4.5 mg/kg dose of DOX and grouped into endpoints every 24 hrs up to 192 hrs. Total amino acids (TAA), essential amino acids (EAA) and branched‐chain amino acids (BCAA) were quantified in the plantaris (PLANT), white gastrocnemius (WG) and soleus (SOL) muscle groups. Following the administration of either 1.5 or 4.5 mg/kg dose, TAA concentrations in each muscle group were significantly increased throughout the experiment when compared to control. However, there were no consistent differences in TAA concentrations when compared between doses. These results were also observed in the EAA concentrations. Subsequent to the administration of the 1.5 mg/kg dose, BCAA were significantly increased in the PLANT, WG and SOL after 48 hrs, compared to control. Similarly, the 4.5 mg/kg dose increased BCAA after 48 hrs compared to control but returned to baseline after 120, 72 and 168 hrs in the PLANT, WG and SOL, respectively. To our knowledge, these data represent for the first time the effect of DOX administration on amino acid availability in skeletal muscle. As such, this study provides important insight in the role of DOX therapy on amino acid metabolism.Support or Funding InformationSupported by NSERC.