Anti-myostatin antibody increases muscle mass and strength and improves insulin sensitivity in old mice

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2016 Feb 23;113(8):2212-7. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1525795113. Epub 2016 Feb 8.

Abstract

Sarcopenia, or skeletal muscle atrophy, is a debilitating comorbidity of many physiological and pathophysiological processes, including normal aging. There are no approved therapies for sarcopenia, but the antihypertrophic myokine myostatin is a potential therapeutic target. Here, we show that treatment of young and old mice with an anti-myostatin antibody (ATA 842) for 4 wk increased muscle mass and muscle strength in both groups. Furthermore, ATA 842 treatment also increased insulin-stimulated whole body glucose metabolism in old mice, which could be attributed to increased insulin-stimulated skeletal muscle glucose uptake as measured by a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp. Taken together, these studies provide support for pharmacological inhibition of myostatin as a potential therapeutic approach for age-related sarcopenia and metabolic disease.

Keywords: aging; insulin resistance; muscle mass; myostatin; sarcopenia.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aging / immunology
  • Aging / pathology
  • Aging / physiology
  • Animals
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal / therapeutic use*
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Energy Metabolism
  • Humans
  • Insulin Resistance / physiology*
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Muscle Strength / physiology*
  • Muscle, Skeletal / pathology*
  • Myostatin / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Myostatin / immunology
  • Myostatin / physiology
  • Sarcopenia / pathology
  • Sarcopenia / physiopathology
  • Sarcopenia / therapy*

Substances

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal
  • MSTN protein, human
  • Myostatin