Skeletal muscle glucocorticoid receptor and glutamine synthetase activity in the wasting syndrome in rats treated with 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo- p-dioxin

Abstract

This study demonstrated specific changes in rat skeletal muscles after a single oral dose (100 μg/kg) of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo- p-dioxin (TCDD). The development of the wasting syndrome was characterized by marked body weight loss, as well as atrophy of plantaris and gastrocnemius muscles. Fourteen days after administration of TCDD, gastrocnemius muscle cytosolic glucocorticoid receptor binding, measured at a single saturating concentration of [ 3H]triamcinolone acetonide, was significantly diminished, while plantaris muscle glutamine synthetase activity was strikingly elevated, indicating that specific biochemical alterations occur in skeletal muscle in the wasting syndrome.