Expression of skeletal muscle cells apoptosis regulatory proteins in plasma-perfused VX2 carcinoma-bearing rabbits.
BACKGROUND
In tumor-bearing animals we found that the skeletal muscle apoptosis might be involved in muscle wasting. In this study, we investigated changes in the skeletal muscle cell apoptosis regulatory proteins after cyclic plasma-perfusion (CPP).


METHODS
We studied changes in body weight, lean body mass (LBM), apoptotic index (AI) and expression of Bax and Bcl-2 in skeletal muscle in VX2 carcinoma-bearing rabbits.


RESULTS
20 days after tumor implantation, LBM had decreased by 5.06+/-1.10%, while the AI had increased to 40.5+/-3.20%. By 40 days, LBM had decreased by 11.0+/-0.81% and the AI was only 0.93+/-0.96%. Bax expression was detected in proportion to the AI, but no Bcl-2 expression was detected in either the experimental or control groups. CPP improved LBM, but did not prevent Bax expression.


CONCLUSIONS
Skeletal muscle cell apoptosis related to Bax was concluded to be the cause of muscle wasting in VX2 carcinoma-bearing rabbits. CPP appears to reduce muscle wasting and increase LBM, but it did not suppress Bax expression or skeletal muscle cell apoptosis.
Ishiko
O
O
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Osaka City University Medical School, Japan. ishikoo@msic.med.osaka-cu.ac.jp
Yoshida
H
H
Sumi
T
T
Hirai
K
K
Honda
K
K
Hyun
Y
Y
Nakagawa
E
E
Hattori
K
K
Ogita
S
S
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology; D001823:Body Composition / Q000502:physiology; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology; D053938:DNA Fragmentation; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D009374:Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D010956:Plasmapheresis; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D011817:Rabbits; D019282:Wasting Syndrome / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein
D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein