Taurine and Methylprednisolone Administration at Close Proximity to the Onset of Muscle Degeneration Is Ineffective at Attenuating Force Loss in the Hind-Limb of 28 Days Mdx Mice

Robert G Barker; Chris van der Poel; Deanna Horvath; Robyn M Murphy

doi:10.3390/sports6040109

Taurine and Methylprednisolone Administration at Close Proximity to the Onset of Muscle Degeneration Is Ineffective at Attenuating Force Loss in the Hind-Limb of 28 Days Mdx Mice

Sports (Basel). 2018 Sep 30;6(4):109. doi: 10.3390/sports6040109.

Authors

Robert G Barker¹, Chris van der Poel², Deanna Horvath³, Robyn M Murphy⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC 3086, Australia. Robert.Barker@latrobe.edu.au.
² Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Microbiology, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC 3086, Australia. C.VanDerPoel@latrobe.edu.au.
³ Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Microbiology, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC 3086, Australia. Deanna.Horvath@latrobe.edu.au.
⁴ Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC 3086, Australia. R.Murphy@latrobe.edu.au.

Abstract

An increasing number of studies have shown supplementation with the amino acid taurine to have promise in ameliorating dystrophic symptoms in the mdx mouse model of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). Here we build on this limited body of work by investigating the efficacy of supplementing mdx mice with taurine postnatally at a time suggestive of when dystrophic symptoms would begin to manifest in humans, and when treatments would likely begin. Mdx mice were given either taurine (mdx tau), the steroid alpha methylprednisolone (PDN), or tau + PDN (mdx tau + PDN). Taurine (2.5% wt/vol) enriched drinking water was given from 14 days and PDN (1 mg/kg daily) from 18 days. Wild-type (WT, C57BL10/ScSn) mice were used as a control to mdx mice to represent healthy tissue. In the mdx mouse, peak damage occurs at 28 days, and in situ assessment of contractile characteristics showed that taurine, PDN, and the combined taurine + PDN treatment was ineffective at attenuating the force loss experienced by mdx mice. Given the benefits of taurine as well as methylprednisolone reported previously, when supplemented at close proximity to the onset of severity muscle degeneration these benefits are no longer apparent.

Keywords: DMD; animal model; mdx mouse; methylprednisolone; skeletal muscle; taurine.