Dietary Alaska Pollack Protein Induces Acute and Sustainable Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy in Rats

Our previous studies suggested that Alaska pollack protein (APP) intake increases skeletal muscle mass and that it may cause a slow-to-fast shift in muscle fiber type in rats fed a high-fat diet after 56 days of feeding. In this study, we explored whether dietary APP induces acute and sustainable skeletal muscle hypertrophy in rats fed a normal-fat diet. Male 5-week-old Sprague–Dawley rats were divided into four groups and fed a purified ingredient-based high-fat diet or a purified ingredient-based normal-fat diet with casein or APP, containing the same amount of crude protein. Dietary APP significantly increased gastrocnemius muscle mass (105~110%) after 2, 7 days of feeding, regardless of dietary fat content. Rats were separated into two groups and fed a normal-fat diet with casein or APP. Dietary APP significantly increased gastrocnemius muscle mass (110%) after 56 days of feeding. Dietary APP significantly increased the cross-sectional area of the gastrocnemius skeletal muscle and collagen-rich connective tissue after 7 days of feeding. It decreased the gene expression of Mstn /Myostatin, Trim63/MuRF1, and Fbxo32/atrogin-1, but not other gene expression, such as serum IGF-1 after 7 days of feeding. No differences were observed between casein and APP groups with respect to the percentage of Type I, Type IIA, and Type IIX or IIB fibers, as determined by myosin ATPase staining after 7 days of feeding. In the similar experiment, the puromycin-labeled peptides were not different between dietary casein and APP after 2 days of feeding. These results demonstrate that APP induces acute and sustainable skeletal muscle hypertrophy in rats, regardless of dietary fat content. Dietary APP, as a daily protein source, may be an approach for maintaining or increasing muscle mass.