EPA prevents arthritis-induced IGF1 decrease

Arthritis causes a decrease in levels of IGF1, which is thought to be a contributor to the associated skeletal muscle wasting and decrease in body weight seen in arthritic patients. Castillero and colleagues questioned whether eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and fenofibrate, both of which have anti-inflammatory actions, could prevent the effect of arthritis on the IGF1-IGFBP system. They injected rats with adjuvant to induce arthritis and treated them with either EPA or fenofibrate for 11 days. Both EPA and fenofibrate administration prevented the decrease in serum IGF1 and liver Igf1 mRNA. However, EPA treatment caused an increase in gastrocnemius Igfbp5 mRNA, whilst fenofibrate treatment decreased both Igfbp3 and Igfbp5 mRNA in gastrocnemius. This shows that both EPA and fenofibrate have protective effects against muscle wasting but exert their actions through different mechanisms. Castillero et al. (2011) Journal of Endocrinology 210 361-368.

Read the full article at: DOI:10.1530/JOE-11-0170.