EFFECT OF BRANCHED-CHAIN AMINO ACIDS MIXTURE ON REPAIR OF ATROPHIED RATS’ SKELETAL MUSCLES
Loss of muscle mass (atrophy) is a regular consequence of gravitational unloading. In hypogravity, muscle atrophy ensues from depression of protein synthesis and increase of its degradation. Both of these processes underlie also atrophy caused by muscle immobilization, cancer cachexia, cardio-myopathy and age-related sarcopenia. At the same time, atrophy of skeletal muscles due to chronic alcohol intoxication is the outcome of protein synthesis depression primarily. The study was part of a program aimed to develop a technique for atrophied muscle recovery by activation of anabolic signal pathways. A similar approach is applied to correct hypogravity-induced atrophy; however, analysis of effectiveness of this approach to the treatment of alcoholic muscle atrophy will be more «pure», as proteolytic processes in intoxicated animals are on the level typical of the intact ones. The issue in hand was whether injection of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) would facilitate repair of m. gastrocnemius medialis in rats in the period of 30 days after 16-week alcoholic intoxication. BCAA was shown to enhance regain size by fast muscular fibers, full recovery of phosphorylated p90RSK concentrations without consequential effects on general proliferative processes and myonuclear number in rat’s m. gastrocnemius medialis.