• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.29 no.8
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• pp.867-873
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• 1996

This study was undertaken to determine whether the anabolic steroid nandrolone phenylpropionate(NPP) can inhibit the muscle atrophy and reduction in muscle protein synthesis caused by glucocorticoids in female rates. Daily injections of 50mg/kg of corticosterone for eight days induced significant reductions in body weight gain and protein without affecting food intake. The mass, protein and RNA content, ratio of RNA to protein, and fractional rate of protein synthesis, measured in vivo, of gastrocnemius muscle were all significantly reduced by corticosterone treatement. Simultaneous administration of NPP at a dose of 10mg/kg with corticosteorne (50mg/kg) fully inhibited the reductions in the mass, protein and RNA content of gastrocnemius muscle, and body weight gain and protein with no alteration in food intake but the reduction in fractional rate of muscle protein syntheis was only partially prevented. The results indicate that the anabolic steroid nandrolone phenylpropionate is capable of preventing muscle atrophy in female rats treated with excess corticosterion.

• Korean Journal of Exercise Nutrition
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.153-161
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• 2011

The maintenance of skeletal muscle mass is very important for the prevention of life style-related diseases and the improvement of quality of life. It is well-known that resistance exercise and nutrition (especially amino acids) are the most effective interventions for maintaining skeletal muscle mass. It has been reported that many molecules are involved in the regulation of protein synthesis in response to resistance exercise and nutrition. Understanding the molecular mechanisms regulating muscle protein synthesis is crucial for the development of appropriate interventions. The role of intracellular signaling pathways through the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), a serine/threonine protein kinase in the regulation of muscle protein synthesis, has been extensively investigated for these years. Control of protein synthesis by mTOR is mediated through phosphorylation of downstream targets that modulate translation initiation and elongation step. In contrast, upstream mediators regulating mTOR and protein synthesis in response to resistance exercise and amino acid still needed to be determined. In this brief review, we discuss the current progress of intracellular mechanisms for exercise- and amino acid-induced activation of mTOR pathways and protein synthesis in skeletal muscle.

• Exercise Science
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.103-114
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• 2017

INTRODUCTION: Regulation of skeletal muscle protein mass is implicated not only in exercise performance but in metabolic health. Exercise in combination with nutrition, particularly dietary protein/amino acid intake, are the pragmatic approach that effectively induces muscle anabolic response (i.e., muscle hypertrophy) through regulating protein synthesis and breakdown. PURPOSE: The purpose of this review was to summarize available data on the effect of exercise intervention and amino acids intake on muscle protein synthesis and breakdown and provide an insight into development of an effective exercise intervention and amino acids supplements, applicable to training practice. METHODS: In this review, we have reviewed currently available data mainly from stable isotope tracer studies with respect to the effect of exercise intervention and protein or amino acid supplement on muscle protein anabolic response. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, exercise alone may not be effective in achieving a positive net muscle protein balance due to the fact that protein breakdown still exceeds protein synthesis until nutrition intake such as protein/amino acids. It appears that muscle anabolic response increases in proportional to the amount of protein intake up to 20 - 35 g depending on quality of protein, age, differences on exercise intensity, duration, and frequency, and individual's training status

• Perspectives in Nursing Science
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.19-36
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• 2005

Muscle atrophy is defined as a decrease in muscle mass, cross-sectional area, and myofibrillar protein content. Causes inducing muscle atrophy may be inactivity, denervation, undernutrition and steroid. Inactivity may decrease protein synthesis and increase protein breakdown of skeletal muscle. The muscle atrophy due to inactivity was induced by bed rest, hindlimb suspension, cast, total hip replacement arthroplasty, anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Denervated atrophy may be induced by the loss of innervation from lower motor neuron. The atrophy was apparent in the lower limb of hemiplegic patients following ischemic stroke and in the hindlimb of ischemic stroke rats. Protein breakdown of skeletal muscle in the undernourished state results in muscle atrophy. The atrophy due to undernutrition was evident in cancer and leukemia patients and in the undernourished rats. Steroids have been used to treat allergies, inflammatory diseases, autoimmune diseases and to inhibit immune function following transplantation. Steroids may induce muscle atrophy by protein breakdown of skeletal muscle. Muscle Physiology Laboratoryat College of Nursing, Seoul National University proved that dexamethasone may induce hindlimb muscle atrophy in rats and exercise and DHEA may attenuate hindlimb muscle atrophy induced by the steroid in rats. Nurses working with patients undergoing steroid treatment need to be cognizant of steroid induced muscle atrophy. They need to assess whether muscle atrophy is being occurred during and after the steroid treatment. Moreover, they need to apply exercise and DHEA to the patients undergoing steroid treatment in order to attenuate the steroid induced muscle atrophy.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.171-174
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• 1996

Muscle protein synthesis in vitro was measured in chicks fed low-protein(10% CP) and control(20% CP) diets. Right leg muscles (M. gastrocnemius) were mounted on a support made of stainless steel to stretch in constant tension, whereas left leg muscles were unmounted. Both leg muscles were incubated in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium including L-[$4-^3H$] phenylalanine for 60 min to measure in vitro protein synthesis. There was no significant difference in fractional synthesis rate(FSR) of muscle protein between both dietary protein levels, whereas FSR with stretch in constant tension was significantly higher than that without constant tension due to an increase in the absolute synthesis rate(ASR) per unit RNA(the efficiency of RNA to synthesize protein). The ASR of muscle protein in chicks fed the control diet was significantly higher than that in the low-protein diet group.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.210-216
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• 1990

Effects of the protein fraction of Panax ginseng on chicken embryonic skeletal muscle cells cultured with a decfiient medium were studied. The protein fraction was further fractionated into four groups according to the molecular weight; larger than 10,000 dalton(fraction A), between 5,000 and 10,000 dalton(fraction B), between 1,000 and 5,000 dalton(fraction C), between 500 and 1,000 dalton(fraction D). According to the microscopic observation, all four protein fractions at the concentration of $10{\sim}100{\;}{\mu}g/ml$ showed the tendency to stimulate the growth and differentiation of the muscle cells. The activity of acetylcholinesterase in muscle cells was significantly elevated by the protein fraction A at the concentration of $100{\mu}{\;}g/ml$. Protein fractions B,C and D significantly enhanced the synthesis of RNA in the muscle cells. The synthesis of DNA in muscle cells was significantly enhanced by protein fractions A,B and C.

• Nutritional Sciences
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.3-7
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• 1998

The aim of the present investigation was to see whether an anabolic steroid, nandrolone phenylpropionate (NPP), exerts protienanabolic effects under such adverse nutritional conditions as protein deficiency and protein-energy malnutrition in male rats. feeding on a low-protein (8% casein) diet resulted in a marked reduction in body weight gain that was associated with reductions in body protein and protein content of gastrocnemius muscle. Administration of NPP (4 mg/kg body weight) did not alter muscle and body protein depletion induced by a low-protein diet. 50% food restriction caused reductions in body protein and in protein content of gastrocnemius muscle. These reductions were partially prevented by NPP (4 mg/kg body weight). Food restriction did not affect plasma concentration of corticosterone, insulin, or tetosterone plus dihydrotestosterone. On the other hand, neither plasma concentration of corticosterone nor insulin were affected by NPP. The present results show that anabolic steroids do not express anabolic effects under conditions of protein deficiency, but in protein-energy malnutrition, anabolic steroids exert their anabolic effects even in male rats.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.133-140
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• 2005

Although amino acids are substrates for the synthesis of proteins and nitrogen-containing compounds, it has become more and more clear over the years that these nutrients are also extremely important as regulators of body protein turnover. The branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) together or simply leucine alone stimulate protein synthesis and inhibit protein breakdown in skeletal muscle. However, it was only recently that the mechanism(s) involved in the regulation of protein turnover by BCAAs has begun to be defined. The acceleration of protein synthesis by these amino acids seems to occur at the level of peptide chain initiation. Oral administration of leucine to food-deprived rats enhances muscle protein synthesis, in part, through activation of the mRNA binding step of translation initiation. Despite our knowledge of the induction of protein synthesis by BCAAs, there are few studies on the suppression of protein degradation. The recent findings that oral administration of leucine rapidly reduced $N^{\tau}$-methylhistidine (3-methylhistidine; MeHis) release from isolated muscle, an index of myofibrillar protein degradation, indicate that leucine suppresses myofiblilar protein degradation. The details of the molecular mechanism by which leucine inhibits proteolysis is just beginning to be elucidated. The purpose of this report was to review the current understanding of how BCAAs act as regulators of protein turnover.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.371-377
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• 2017

Muscle atrophy is characterized by a decrease in the mass of the muscle. With an increase in life expectancy and chronic illnesses, the incidence of muscle atrophy is increasing and the quality of life of patients is decreasing. Thus, reducing muscle atrophy is of high clinical and socio-economic importance. Mistletoe is a semi-parasitic plant that has been used as a traditional medicine in many countries to treat various human illnesses. It has been reported that Korean mistletoe extract (KME) has diverse biological functions including anti-tumor, anti-oxidant, anti-diabetic, anti-obesity properties, and extension of lifespan. Especially, we have recently reported that KME improves exercise endurance in mice, indicating its beneficial roles in enhancing the capacity of skeletal muscle. In this study, we investigated whether KME could activate the signaling pathway related to protein synthesis in a mouse model of muscle atrophy. Interestingly, KME efficiently activated the Akt/mTOR pathway, and Akt and mTOR are important signaling hub molecules for the acceleration of protein synthesis in muscle cells. In addition, KME also increased the activity of S6 kinase which is involved in the regulation of muscle cell size. Moreover, the ERK activity, required for transcription of ribosomal RNA for protein synthesis, was also enhanced in KME-treated mouse muscle. These data support the idea that KME increases muscle mass via increased protein synthesis. Our findings also suggest that Korean mistletoe might be a promising candidate for the development of functional foods that are beneficial for preventing muscle atrophy.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.109-116
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• 1983

The effect of protein constituents of six-year old fresh Panax ginseng root on chick embryonic brain, spinal cord and skeletal muscle dissociation cultures was studied. The protein constituents showed the enhancing effect on cultured brain, spinal cord and skeletal muscle cells. The neurite formation from brain and spinal cord cells and the outgrowth of neurite seemed to be enhanced by almost all of the protein constituents employed for this study. The maturation of skeletal muscle cells was stimulated by the protein constituents. This enhancing effect of the protein constituents was more vivid when brain, spinal cord and skeletal muscle cells were cultured with a medium which did not contain chick embryonic extracts known as an essential component for primary cell culture. The protein fraction having molecular weight range of 1,000 to 5,000 out of all the protein fractions employed for this study showed the most stimulatory effect on cultured brain, spinal cord and skeletal muscle cells.