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Relationship between calcium circulation-related factors and muscle strength in rat sciatic nerve injury model
Xiaoming Sun1, Wei Wang1, Yangyi Dong1
1Department of Forensic Medicine, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, P. R. China.
Objectives:
The purpose of this study is to investigate the indication function of the calcium circulation-related factors on the damage to muscle strength and contraction function after nerve injury. The target factors include ryanodine receptor (RyR), inositol-1,4,5-triphosphate receptor (IP3R), phospholamban (PLN), cryptocalcitonin (CASQ), ATPase and troponin C (TNNC).
Materials And Methods:
Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into sham-operated group (SO), sciatic nerve injury group (SNI) and sciatic nerve disconnection group (SNT). Sciatic nerve function index and stretching test were used to examine the changes to muscle strength; bilateral gastrocnemius muscles were extracted after execution for gastrocnemius wet weight ratio test. HE staining slides and average cross-sectional area of muscle fibers were acquired to analyze the muscle atrophy. The transcription level of the factors was also measured.
Results:
Sciatic nerve damage in SNI group was significantly higher than that in SO group in the 6 weeks, but there was no significant difference between SNT and SO groups fallowing sciatic nerve damage. Sciatic nerve function in SNT group was worse than that in SNI group. The average cross-sectional area of gastrocnemius muscle fibers in SNI and SNT groups was significantly reduced compared to that in SO group. The transcriptional levels of RyR, PLN, CASQ, ATPase and TNNC in SNI and SNT groups were significantly different from those in SO group.
Conclusion:
Calcium circulation-related factors could be used as potential indicators for assessment of damages to muscle strength.
Insights
Calcium circulation factors like RyR and PLN indicate muscle strength damage after nerve injury. These factors, including CASQ, ATPase, and TNNC, show altered transcription levels following sciatic nerve damage in rats.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Muscle Physiology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Nerve injury can lead to significant muscle strength and contraction dysfunction.
- Calcium circulation is crucial for muscle function, but its role in post-nerve injury atrophy is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of calcium circulation-related factors in muscle damage after nerve injury.
- To assess the potential of factors like ryanodine receptor (RyR), inositol-1,4,5-triphosphate receptor (IP3R), phospholamban (PLN), cryptocalcitonin (CASQ), ATPase, and troponin C (TNNC) as indicators of muscle damage.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Sprague-Dawley rats subjected to sham operation (SO), sciatic nerve injury (SNI), or sciatic nerve disconnection (SNT).
- Assessed muscle strength via nerve function index and stretching tests.
- Analyzed muscle atrophy through gastrocnemius wet weight ratio, HE staining, and muscle fiber cross-sectional area.
- Measured the transcriptional levels of key calcium circulation-related factors.
Main Results:
- Sciatic nerve injury (SNI) led to significant muscle damage compared to sham-operated (SO) rats at 6 weeks.
- Sciatic nerve disconnection (SNT) resulted in worse nerve function and muscle atrophy than SNI.
- Significant reductions in gastrocnemius muscle fiber cross-sectional area were observed in both SNI and SNT groups.
- Transcriptional levels of RyR, PLN, CASQ, ATPase, and TNNC were significantly altered in both SNI and SNT groups compared to SO.
Conclusions:
- Calcium circulation-related factors demonstrate altered transcriptional levels following nerve injury.
- These factors show potential as reliable indicators for assessing muscle strength damage and atrophy post-nerve injury.
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