The pharmacology of experimental myopathies.

Abstract

A large group of disorders affect striated muscle in man. The direct approach to the study of these diseases presents major difficulties. Biopsies can be useful in diagnos­ ing a muscle disease and in confirming its progress. However, at a time when muscle weakness and other neurologic abnormalities become obvious, the myopathy is usually well advanced. It is also impossible to provide adequate controls to follow the development of the myopathy in man and its reversibility with experimental techniques. Consequently, a wide variety of animal models of human muscle dis­ eases have been developed. These models include myopathies occurring spontane­ ously in highly inbred strains of mice, hamsters, goats, and other mammals. However, a new and rapidly expanding area of inquiry involves the pharmacologi­ cally induced myopathies developed with a wide variety of drugs. This review is concerned with this second area of research, that of pharmacologically induced experimental myopathies. A survey of the literature of the past ten years reveals many attempts to reproduce pharmacologically human myopathies in animals. Three areas have been particu­ larly active. These include experimental myotonia, experimental Duchenne's mus­ cular dystrophy, and general neuromuscular disorders.