The effect of a chemotherapy drug cocktail on myotube morphology, myofibrillar protein abundance, and substrate availability

Abstract Cachexia, a condition prevalent in many chronically ill patients, is characterized by weight loss, fatigue, and decreases in muscle mass and function. Cachexia is associated with tumor burden and disease‐related malnutrition, but other studies implicate chemotherapy as being causative. We i...

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Main Authors: Stephen Mora, Olasunkanmi A. J. Adegoke
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2021-07-01
Series:Physiological Reports
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.14814/phy2.14927
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author Stephen Mora
Olasunkanmi A. J. Adegoke
author_facet Stephen Mora
Olasunkanmi A. J. Adegoke
author_sort Stephen Mora
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Cachexia, a condition prevalent in many chronically ill patients, is characterized by weight loss, fatigue, and decreases in muscle mass and function. Cachexia is associated with tumor burden and disease‐related malnutrition, but other studies implicate chemotherapy as being causative. We investigated the effects of a chemotherapy drug cocktail on myofibrillar protein abundance and synthesis, anabolic signaling mechanisms, and substrate availability. On day 4 of differentiation, L6 myotubes were treated with vehicle (1.4 μl/ml DMSO) or a chemotherapy drug cocktail (a mixture of cisplatin [20 μg/ml], leucovorin [10 μg/ml], and 5‐fluorouracil [5‐FLU; 50 μg/ml]) for 24–72 h. Compared to myotubes treated with vehicle, those treated with the drug cocktail showed 50%–80% reductions in the abundance of myofibrillar proteins, including myosin heavy chain‐1, troponin, and tropomyosin (p < 0.05). Cells treated with only a mixture of cisplatin and 5‐FLU had identical reductions in myofibrillar protein abundance. Myotubes treated with the drug cocktail also showed >50% reductions in the phosphorylation of AKTSer473 and of mTORC1 substrates ribosomal protein S6Ser235/236, its kinase S6K1Thr389 and eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E‐binding protein 1 (all p < 0.05). Drug treatment impaired peptide chain initiation in myofibrillar protein fractions and insulin‐stimulated glucose uptake (p = 0.06) but increased the expression of autophagy markers beclin‐1 and microtubule‐associated proteins 1A/1B light chain 3B (p < 0.05), and of apoptotic marker, cleaved caspase 3 (p < 0.05). Drug treatment reduced the expression of mitochondrial markers cytochrome oxidase and succinate dehydrogenase (p < 0.05). The observed profound negative effects of this chemotherapy drug cocktail on myotubes underlie a need for approaches that can reduce the negative effects of these drugs on muscle metabolism.
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spelling doaj.art-65fa6854bfad4db797db74d957469fa22022-12-21T18:56:10ZengWileyPhysiological Reports2051-817X2021-07-01913n/an/a10.14814/phy2.14927The effect of a chemotherapy drug cocktail on myotube morphology, myofibrillar protein abundance, and substrate availabilityStephen Mora0Olasunkanmi A. J. Adegoke1School of Kinesiology and Health Science and Muscle Health Research Centre York University Toronto Ontario CanadaSchool of Kinesiology and Health Science and Muscle Health Research Centre York University Toronto Ontario CanadaAbstract Cachexia, a condition prevalent in many chronically ill patients, is characterized by weight loss, fatigue, and decreases in muscle mass and function. Cachexia is associated with tumor burden and disease‐related malnutrition, but other studies implicate chemotherapy as being causative. We investigated the effects of a chemotherapy drug cocktail on myofibrillar protein abundance and synthesis, anabolic signaling mechanisms, and substrate availability. On day 4 of differentiation, L6 myotubes were treated with vehicle (1.4 μl/ml DMSO) or a chemotherapy drug cocktail (a mixture of cisplatin [20 μg/ml], leucovorin [10 μg/ml], and 5‐fluorouracil [5‐FLU; 50 μg/ml]) for 24–72 h. Compared to myotubes treated with vehicle, those treated with the drug cocktail showed 50%–80% reductions in the abundance of myofibrillar proteins, including myosin heavy chain‐1, troponin, and tropomyosin (p < 0.05). Cells treated with only a mixture of cisplatin and 5‐FLU had identical reductions in myofibrillar protein abundance. Myotubes treated with the drug cocktail also showed >50% reductions in the phosphorylation of AKTSer473 and of mTORC1 substrates ribosomal protein S6Ser235/236, its kinase S6K1Thr389 and eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E‐binding protein 1 (all p < 0.05). Drug treatment impaired peptide chain initiation in myofibrillar protein fractions and insulin‐stimulated glucose uptake (p = 0.06) but increased the expression of autophagy markers beclin‐1 and microtubule‐associated proteins 1A/1B light chain 3B (p < 0.05), and of apoptotic marker, cleaved caspase 3 (p < 0.05). Drug treatment reduced the expression of mitochondrial markers cytochrome oxidase and succinate dehydrogenase (p < 0.05). The observed profound negative effects of this chemotherapy drug cocktail on myotubes underlie a need for approaches that can reduce the negative effects of these drugs on muscle metabolism.https://doi.org/10.14814/phy2.14927cachexiachemotherapyprotein synthesisskeletal muscle
spellingShingle Stephen Mora
Olasunkanmi A. J. Adegoke
The effect of a chemotherapy drug cocktail on myotube morphology, myofibrillar protein abundance, and substrate availability
Physiological Reports
cachexia
chemotherapy
protein synthesis
skeletal muscle
title The effect of a chemotherapy drug cocktail on myotube morphology, myofibrillar protein abundance, and substrate availability
title_full The effect of a chemotherapy drug cocktail on myotube morphology, myofibrillar protein abundance, and substrate availability
title_fullStr The effect of a chemotherapy drug cocktail on myotube morphology, myofibrillar protein abundance, and substrate availability
title_full_unstemmed The effect of a chemotherapy drug cocktail on myotube morphology, myofibrillar protein abundance, and substrate availability
title_short The effect of a chemotherapy drug cocktail on myotube morphology, myofibrillar protein abundance, and substrate availability
title_sort effect of a chemotherapy drug cocktail on myotube morphology myofibrillar protein abundance and substrate availability
topic cachexia
chemotherapy
protein synthesis
skeletal muscle
url https://doi.org/10.14814/phy2.14927
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