Journal article
Maintenance of muscle mass in adult male mice is independent of testosterone
PloS one, Vol.16(3), pp.e0240278-e0240278
03/25/2021
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0240278
PMCID: PMC7993603
PMID: 33764986
Abstract
Testosterone is considered a potent anabolic agent in skeletal muscle with a well-established role in adolescent growth and development in males. However, the role of testosterone in the regulation of skeletal muscle mass and function throughout the lifespan has yet to be fully established. While some studies suggest that testosterone is important for the maintenance of skeletal muscle mass, an understanding of the role this hormone plays in young, adult, and old males with normal and low serum testosterone levels is lacking. We investigated the role testosterone plays in the maintenance of muscle mass by examining the effect of orchiectomy-induced testosterone depletion in C57Bl6 male mice at ages ranging from early postnatal through old age (1.5-, 5-, 12-, and 24-month old mice). Following 28 days of testosterone depletion, we assessed mass and fiber cross-sectional-area (CSA) of the tibialis anterior, gastrocnemius, and quadriceps muscles. In addition, we measured global rates of protein synthesis and degradation using the SuNSET method, western blots, and enzyme activity assays. Twenty-eight days of testosterone depletion resulted in reduced muscle mass in the two youngest cohorts, but had no effect in the two oldest cohorts. Mean CSA decreased only in the youngest cohort and only in the tibialis anterior muscle. Testosterone depletion resulted in a general increase in proteasome activity at all ages. No change in protein synthesis was detected at the terminal time point. These data suggest that within physiological serum concentrations, testosterone may not be critical for the maintenance of muscle mass in mature male mice; however, in young mice testosterone is crucial for normal growth.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Maintenance of muscle mass in adult male mice is independent of testosterone
- Creators
- Arik Davidyan - Oklahoma Medical Research FoundationSuraj Pathak - University of California, DavisKeith Baar - University of California, DavisSue C Bodine - University of Iowa
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- PloS one, Vol.16(3), pp.e0240278-e0240278
- DOI
- 10.1371/journal.pone.0240278
- PMID
- 33764986
- PMCID
- PMC7993603
- NLM abbreviation
- PLoS One
- ISSN
- 1932-6203
- eISSN
- 1932-6203
- Publisher
- PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE
- Number of pages
- 16
- Grant note
- UL1 TR000002 / NIH; United States Department of Health & Human Services; National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 03/25/2021
- Academic Unit
- Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center; Endocrinology and Metabolism; Internal Medicine
- Record Identifier
- 9984230422202771
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