Figure 5. Protective Effects of 17DMAG on fiber cross-sectional area, STAT3 activation, and catabolic pathway suppression.
(a) Representative hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining showing the morphological changes in the gastrocnemius. Scale bar: 100 μm. (b) Fiber size distribution. (c) Mean fiber cross-sectional area is shown by the χ2 analysis (for CSA); * denotes a significant difference (P<0.05) compared with normal control; # denotes a significant difference (P<0.05) compared with C26 mice. (d) 17DMAG treatment altered the expressions of myosin heavy chain (MHC), MuRF-1, atrogin-1, and pY-STAT3 in cachectic skeletal muscles from C26 tumor-bearing mice, which were detected by western blot analysis. (e) Gastrocnemius MHC expression was evaluated by immunofluorescence staining. MHC, green, DAPI, blue. Scale bar: 100 μm. (f) Total RNA was extracted from the gastrocnemius from control, 17DMAG-treated, and C26tumor-bearing mice, and the expression levels of MuRF-1 and atrogin-1 in the gastrocnemius were measured by quantitative RT-PCR. Data represent the mean ± SD. ***p<0.001, compared with normal control; #p<0.05, compared with C26 mice.