Myostatin, insulin-like growth factor-1, and leukemia inhibitory factor mRNAs are upregulated in chronic human disuse muscle atrophy

Abstract

Human disuse muscle atrophy frequently accompanies orthopedic injury, arthritis, or bed rest, and recovery is often incomplete despite current rehabilitation programs. We have studied the vastus lateralis muscle in 12 patients with chronic disuse atrophy associated with chronic osteoarthritis of the hip both preoperatively and after total hip arthroplasty. Semiquantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) demonstrated an increase in the level of expression of myostatin, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) mRNAs compared to healthy control muscle. In all patients there was a significant correlation preoperatively between increasing..