title: Circulating serum CK level vs. muscle impairment for in situ monitoring burden of disease in Mdx-mice.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) consists of a lack in the expression of the subsarcolemmal protein dystrophin causing progressive muscle dysfunction. Among the widely applied animal models in DMD research is the C57BL/1010ScSn-Dmdmdx mouse, commonly referred to as the "mdx mouse". The potential benefit of novel interventions in this model is often assessed by variables such as functional improvement, histological changes, and creatine kinase (CK) serum levels as an indicator for the extent of in situ muscle damage.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Our objective was to determine to what extent the serum CK-level serves a surrogate for muscle dysfunction.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this trial mdx mice were subjected to a four-limb wire-hanging test (WHT) to assess the physical performance as a reference for muscle function. As CK is a component of the muscle fiber cytosol, its serum activity is supposed to positively correlate with progressing muscle damage. Hence serum CK levels were measured to detect the degree of muscle impairment. The functional tests and the serum CK levels were analyzed for their specific correlation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Although physical performance decreased during the course of the experiment, latency to fall times in the WHT did not correlate with the CK level in mdx mice.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data suggests that the serum CK activity might be a critical parameter to monitor the progression of muscle impairment in mdx mice. Further this study emphasizes the complexity of the DMD phenotype in the mdx mouse, and the care with which isolated parameters in this model should be interpreted.
authors.affiliation: Center for Plastic-, Hand- and Reconstructive Surgery, University Hospital Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.affiliation: Center for Plastic-, Hand- and Reconstructive Surgery, University Hospital Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Prantl
authors.affiliation: Center for Plastic-, Hand- and Reconstructive Surgery, University Hospital Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Geis
authors.affiliation: Center for Plastic-, Hand- and Reconstructive Surgery, University Hospital Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Felthaus
authors.affiliation: Center for Plastic-, Hand- and Reconstructive Surgery, University Hospital Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dolderer
authors.affiliation: Center for Plastic-, Hand- and Reconstructive Surgery, University Hospital Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Anker
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zeitler
authors.affiliation: Translational Molecular Pathology, University of Texas MD, Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Alt
authors.affiliation: Translational Molecular Pathology, University of Texas MD, Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vykoukal
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003402:Creatine Kinase / Q000378:metabolism*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D016189:Dystrophin / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018101:Mice, Inbred mdx; D009135:Muscular Diseases / Q000097:blood*; D020388:Muscular Dystrophy, Duchenne / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D016189:Dystrophin; D003402:Creatine Kinase
keywords: CK level; Duchenne muscular dystrophy; diagnostic methods; mdx mouse; muscle impairment; serum biomarker for muscle imparment