Skeletal muscles and adipose tissue represent the two largest tissue compartments in the human body by mass and volume. The study of the influence of lipid metabolism on muscle tissue structure and function is of particular interest. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor (hypolipidemic drug atorvastatin) on muscle endurance and the morphological state of skeletal muscle in dystrophin-deficient mdx mice. During the 12-week experiment, mdx mice (n = 60) were divided into two groups: Group 1 (control, n = 30) fed a standard diet, and Group 2 (n = 30) received an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor with food (20 mg/kg/day). Throughout the experiment, mouse body weight was measured, and muscle endurance was assessed using the Wire Hang test. Histological and immunohistochemical examination of the diaphragm and quadriceps femoris (rectus femoris) muscle was performed. It was found that Group 2 animals had a statistically significant increase in body weight compared to the control (p < 0.05). No significant intergroup differences in muscle endurance indices were found. In Group 2 animals, histological analysis of the muscle revealed a significant increase in the total number of striated muscle fibers (SMFs) and the proportion of dystrophin-positive fibers, as well as an increased number of dead SMFs. No significant changes were found in the diaphragm. The obtained data indicate a complex effect of an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor on muscle tissue, which leads to an increase in body weight but does not improve the functional indices of muscle endurance. It was found that an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor affects the morphology of the rectus femoris muscle. Namely, the identified structural alterations (increase in the number of dead SMFs) in the skeletal muscle of mdx mice against the background of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor administration suggest the myotoxic effect of the drug, which may further contribute to the progression of muscle tissue dystrophy.
Abramova et al. (Wed,) studied this question.