Modulation of prostaglandin E2 synthesis in rat skeletal muscle

The skeletal muscle arachidonic acid cascade in health and inflammatory disease

Muscle atrophy and weakness are often observed in patients with chronic inflammatory diseases, and are the major clinical features of the autoimmune myopathies, polymyositis and dermatomyositis. A general understanding of the pathogenesis of muscle atrophy and the impaired muscle function associated with chronic inflammatory diseases has not been clarified. In this context, arachidonic acid metabolites, such as the prostaglandin and leukotriene subfamilies, are of interest because they contribute to immune and nonimmune processes. Accumulating evidence suggests that prostaglandins and leukotrienes are involved in causing muscular pain and inflammation, and also in myogenesis and the repair of muscles. In this Review, we summarize novel findings that implicate prostaglandins and leukotrienes in the muscle atrophy and weakness that occur in inflammatory diseases of the muscles, with a focus on inflammatory myopathies. We discuss the role of the arachidonic acid cascade in skeletal muscle growth and function, and individual metabolites as potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of inflammatory muscle diseases.

The COX-2 pathway is essential during early stages of skeletal muscle regeneration

Skeletal muscle regeneration comprises several overlapping cellular processes, including inflammation and myogenesis. Prostaglandins (PGs) may regulate muscle regeneration, because they modulate inflammation and are involved in various stages of myogenesis in vitro. PG synthesis is catalyzed by different isoforms of cyclooxygenase (COX), which are inhibited by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Although experiments employing nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have implicated PGs in tissue repair, how PGs regulate muscle regeneration remains unclear, and the potentially distinct roles of different COX isoforms have not been investigated. To address these questions, a localized freeze injury was induced in the tibialis anterior muscles of mice chronically treated with either a COX-1- or COX-2-selective inhibitor (SC-560 and SC-236, respectively), starting before injury. The size of regenerating myofibers was analyzed at time points up to 5 wk after injury and found to be decreased by SC-236 and in COX-2−/−muscles, but unaffected by SC-560. In contrast, SC-236 had no effect on myofiber growth when administered starting 7 days after injury. The attenuation of myofiber growth by SC-236 treatment and in COX-2−/−muscles is associated with decreases in the number of myoblasts and intramuscular inflammatory cells at early times after injury. Together, these data suggest that COX-2-dependent PG synthesis is required during early stages of muscle regeneration and thus raise caution about the use of COX-2-selective inhibitors in patients with muscle injury or disease.

Sphingomyelinase stimulates 2-deoxyglucose uptake by skeletal muscle

The effects of sphingomyelinase, phosphorylcholine, N-acetylsphingosine (C2-ceramide), N-hexanoylsphingosine (C6-ceramide) and sphingosine on basal and insulin-stimulated cellular accumulation of 2-deoxy-D-glucose in rat soleus muscles were investigated. Preincubation of muscles with sphingomyelinase (100 or 200 m-units/ml) for 1 or 2 h augmented basal 2-deoxyglucose uptake by 29-91%, and that at 0.1 and 1.0 m-unit of insulin/ml 32-82% and 19-25% respectively compared with control muscles studied at the same insulin concentrations. The sphingomyelinase-induced increase in basal and insulin-stimulated 2-deoxyglucose uptake was inhibited by 91% by 70 microM cytochalasin B, suggesting that it involves glucose transporters. Sphingomyelinase had no effect on the cellular accumulation of L-glucose, which is not transported by glucose transporters. The sphingomyelinase-induced increase in 2-deoxyglucose uptake could not be reproduced by preincubating the muscles with 50 microM phosphorylcholine, 50 microM C2-ceramide or 50 microM C6-ceramide. Preincubation of muscles with 50 microM sphingosine augmented basal 2-deoxyglucose transport by 32%, but reduced the response to 0.1 and 1.0 m-unit of insulin/ml by 17 and 27% respectively. The stimulatory effect of sphingomyelinase on basal and insulin-induced 2-deoxyglucose uptake was not influenced by either removal of Ca2+ from the incubation medium or dantrolene, an inhibitor of Ca2+ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum. This demonstrates that Ca2+ does not mediate the action of sphingomyelinase on 2-deoxyglucose uptake. Sphingomyelinase also had no effect on basal and insulin-stimulated activities of insulin receptor tyrosine kinase and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase. In addition, 1 and 5 microM wortmannin, an inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, failed to inhibit the sphingomyelinase-induced increase in 2-deoxyglucose uptake. These results suggest that sphingomyelinase does not increase 2-deoxyglucose uptake by stimulating the insulin receptor or the initial steps of the insulin-transduction pathway. The data suggest the possibility that sphingomyelinase increases basal and insulin-stimulated 2-deoxyglucose uptake in skeletal muscle as the result of an unknown post-receptor effect.