title: Formoterol and cancer muscle wasting in rats: Effects on muscle force and total physical activity.
abstract: Cancer cachexia occurs in the majority of cancer patients before death, and it is responsible for the death of 22% of cancer patients. One of the most relevant characteristics of cachexia is that of asthenia, which reflects significant muscle wasting noted in cachectic cancer patients The aim of the present study was to assess whether the β(2)-adrenergic agonist formoterol is associated with an improvement in physiological parameters such as grip force and total physical activity in cachetic rats. Administration of the β(2)-agonist formoterol (0.3 mg/kg for 7 days) in rats bearing Yoshida AH-130 ascites hepatoma tumors, a model which induces a strong loss of both body and muscle weight, resulted in a significant reversal of the muscle wasting process, as reflected by individual muscle weights. The anti-wasting effects of the drug were also observed in terms of total physical activity and grip force, thus resulting in an improvement in physical performance in cachectic tumor-bearing rats.
authors.affiliation: Cancer Research Group, Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona.
authors.forename: Sílvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Busquets
authors.forename: Míriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Toledo
authors.forename: Sònia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sirisi
authors.forename: Marcel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Orpí
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Serpe
authors.forename: Joana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Coutinho
authors.forename: Raquel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Martínez
authors.forename: Josep M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Argilés
authors.forename: Francisco J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: López-Soriano