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Greater Colo-Rectal Activation Phenotype in Exercised mdx Mice
Marie Nearing1, James Novak2, Terence Partridge3
1Children's National Health System, Children's Research Institute, Center for Genetic Medicine Research, Washington DC, United States.
Plos Currents
|June 5, 2018
Summary
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) mice show increased fecal output during exercise. This exercise-induced response may serve as a non-invasive biomarker for evaluating DMD therapies.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Research
- Genetics
- Animal Models
Background:
- Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is a genetic disorder characterized by dystrophin protein deficiency.
- Both human patients and animal models of DMD exhibit intestinal dysfunction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of exercise on fecal output in dystrophic mice.
- To explore a potential non-invasive biomarker for assessing DMD therapies.
Main Methods:
- Two dystrophic mouse models and their control strains were subjected to 20-minute treadmill exercise.
- Fecal output during exercise was quantified by counting, drying, and weighing.
Main Results:
- Dystrophic mice produced significantly greater amounts of fecal material compared to control mice during exercise.
- This suggests an exercise-induced gastrointestinal response in DMD models.
Conclusions:
- Exercise-induced changes in fecal output in DMD mice may indicate an "exercise-induced Colo-Rectal Activation Phenotype".
- This phenotype could be a sensitive, non-invasive biomarker for evaluating the efficacy of dystrophin replacement therapies in DMD.
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