Skeletal muscle: from birth to old age, routes to mechanical and metabolic failure

Skeletal muscle (SM) is the most abundant tissue and the largest reservoir of protein in the body. It transports glucose in an insulin dependent manner by the glucose transporter type 4 (GLUT4) and contributes in the maintenance of serum amino acids concentration. By its mass and energetic requirements, it is fundamental for the systemic metabolic balance. In the present work, we present the effect of gestational undernourishment (GU) on the mechanical and metabolic properties of SM at birth and in old age in an animal model. Mechanical studies were performed on isolated muscles, while the GLUT4, amino acid transporters LAT2, SNAT2 and insulin receptors (IR) determination were performed on isolated transverse-tubule membranes (TT). The GU in offspring at birth, results in low muscle mass with increased contraction force and resistance to fatigue. However, in two-years old rats, there was muscle hypotrophy and sarcopenia, the force decreased between 50 and 70% in control rats and rats with GU respectively, accompanied by a lower expression of LAT2, SNAT2 and IR in TT. In conclusion, GU irreversibly affects the SM, an effect that could be similar in humans, which help us to understand the events that associate the GU with the metabolic debacle of SM and the metabolic diseases of human adulthood.