The influence of insulin-like growth factor 1 on protein synthesis and degradation in skeletal muscle of rats with chronic renal failure
gAO Xiulin(Division of Nephrology, Fuzing Hospital, Beijing 100038)
Abstract:Objective Patients with chronic renal failure(CRF) are frequently malnourished, skeletal muscle atrophy and protein depleted. Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) is an anabolic hormone. The actions of IGF-1 on protein turnover were examined in skeletal muscle of rats with CRF and sham operated (SO), pair-fed controls. IGF-1 was extracted from serum and skeletal muscle and then measured by radio-immunoassay(RIA). Total tyrosine in the supernatant from the medium was measured fluorometrically and then basal protein synthesis rate and degradation rate in skeletal muscle were calculated. The results showed that IGF-1 levels in serum and in skeletal muscle in the CRF rats were 170.3 ± 16.4 ng/ml and 4.22 ± 1.03ng/grams respectively. These values were significantly lower than in the SO rats (410.4 ± 49.3ng/ml in serum and 6.93 + 1.41ng/grams in muscle, respectively, P<0.001 for each comparison). The basal protein synthesis rate in epitrochlearis muscle of the CRF rats (24.0 ± 2.1 nmol tyr/grams per hour ) was significantly lower, by 22%, than that of SO, pair-fed rats (30.8 ± 2.4nmol tyr/grams per hour,P<0.05). In contrast, the basal protein degradation rate in the epitrochlearis muscle of the CRF rats (234.4 ± 13.8nmol tyr/grams per hour) was increased by 78% in comparison to SO rats (131.7 ± 8.4nmol tyr/grams per hour, P< 0.001). Dose response curves of rhIGF-1 showed that the effects of rhIGF-1 On muscle protein synthesis and degradation in CRF rats were markedly attenuated as compared to their SO pair-fed controls. The enhancement in protein synthesis induced by increasing concentrations of rhIGF-1 (ranging from 25 to 500ng/ml) in CRF rats was only 25 to 44% of that in SO rats. Similarly, the suppressive effects of the various concentrations of rhlGF-1 on protein degradation in muscle from CRF rats were only 15 to 42% of those found in SO rats. These data indicate that there are impaired actions of rhIGF-1 on protein synthesis and degradation in skeletal muscle of rats with cRF. These findings suggest that the decreased IGF-1 levels in serum and in skeletal muscle, the resistance to the anabolie effects of IGF-1 on protein metabolism may be the main causes of reduced protein synthesis and enhaneed protein degradation in muscle, muscle atrophy and malnutrition in patients with cRF.
