Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0026850 (muscular dystrophy)
 5,870 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

In order to understand the pathogenesis of mouse muscular dystrophy, we investigated the levels of the thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), H2O2 and NADPH oxidase activity, which were relative to the acceleration of oxidative conditions, in tongue and hindleg skeletal muscles from C57BL/6J-dy mice. The TBARS content (702 nmol/g protein) in skeletal muscles from 2-months-old dystrophic mice was increased significantly over that (384 nmol/g protein) in muscles from age-matched normal mice. The H2O2 concentration in dystrophic skeletal muscles was 30% higher than that in normal ones. Microsomal NADPH oxidase activity which was related to the production of superoxide anions, was similar between dystrophic muscles (4.66 nmol/10 min/mg protein) and normal muscles (4.11 nmol/10 min/mg protein). These results indicate that oxidation is accelerated in the dystrophic muscles. However, the TBARS content in the tongues of dystrophic mice was identical to that of normal mice. This finding supports our bone-muscle growth imbalance hypothesis for the pathogenesis of mouse muscular dystrophy.
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PMID:Elevation of the level of thiobarbituric acid-reactive products in hindleg skeletal muscle of dystrophic mice, but non-elevation in tongue muscle. 822 42

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is the most devastating type of muscular dystrophy, leading to progressive weakness of respiratory (e.g. diaphragm) and locomotor muscles (e.g. gastrocnemius). DMD is caused by X-linked defects in the gene that encodes for dystrophin, a key scaffolding protein of the dystroglycan complex (DCG) within the sarcolemmal cytoskeleton. As a result of a compromised dystroglycan complex, mechanical integrity is impaired and important signalling proteins (e.g. nNOS, caveolin-3) and pathways are disrupted. Disruption of the dystroglycan complex leads to high susceptibility to injury with repeated, eccentric contractions as well as inflammation, resulting in significant damage and necrosis. Chronic damage and repair cycling leads to fibrosis and weakness. While the link between inflammation with damage and weakness in the DMD diaphragm is unresolved, elevated oxidative stress may contribute to damage, weakness and possibly fibrosis. While utilization of non-specific antioxidant interventions has yielded inconsistent results, recent data suggest that NAD(P)H oxidase could play a pivotal role in elevating oxidative stress via integrated changes in caveolin-3 and stretch-activated channels (SACs). Oxidative stress may act as an amplifier, exacerbating disruption of the dystroglycan complex, upregulation of the inflammatory transcription factor NF-B, and thus functional impairment of force-generating capacity.
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PMID:Exacerbation of pathology by oxidative stress in respiratory and locomotor muscles with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. 2148 93

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a degenerative skeletal muscle disease that makes walking and breathing difficult. DMD is caused by an X-linked (Xp21) mutation in the dystrophin gene. Dystrophin is a scaffolding protein located in the sarcolemmal cytoskeleton, important in maintaining structural integrity and regulating muscle cell (muscle fiber) growth and repair. Dystrophin deficiency in mouse models (e.g., mdx mouse) destabilizes the interface between muscle fibers and the extracellular matrix, resulting in profound damage, inflammation, and weakness in diaphragm and limb muscles. While the link between dystrophin deficiency with inflammation and pathology is multi-factorial, elevated oxidative stress has been proposed as a central mediator. Unfortunately, the use of non-specific antioxidant scavengers in mouse and human studies has led to inconsistent results, obscuring our understanding of the importance of redox signaling in pathology of muscular dystrophy. However, recent studies with more mechanistic approaches in mdx mice suggest that NAD(P)H oxidase and nuclear factor-kappaB are important in amplifying dystrophin-deficient muscle pathology. Therefore, more targeted antioxidant therapeutics may ameliorate damage and weakness in human population, thus promoting better muscle function and quality of life. This review will focus upon the pathobiology of dystrophin deficiency in diaphragm and limb muscle primarily in mouse models, with a rationale for development of targeted therapeutic antioxidants in DMD patients.
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PMID:Contribution of oxidative stress to pathology in diaphragm and limb muscles with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. 2310 73

Dystrophin is a long rod-shaped protein that connects the subsarcolemmal cytoskeleton to a complex of proteins in the surface membrane (dystrophin protein complex, DPC), with further connections via laminin to other extracellular matrix proteins. Initially considered a structural complex that protected the sarcolemma from mechanical damage, the DPC is now known to serve as a scaffold for numerous signaling proteins. Absence or reduced expression of dystrophin or many of the DPC components cause the muscular dystrophies, a group of inherited diseases in which repeated bouts of muscle damage lead to atrophy and fibrosis, and eventually muscle degeneration. The normal function of dystrophin is poorly defined. In its absence a complex series of changes occur with multiple muscle proteins showing reduced or increased expression or being modified in various ways. In this review, we will consider the various proteins whose expression and function is changed in muscular dystrophies, focusing on Ca(2+)-permeable channels, nitric oxide synthase, NADPH oxidase, and caveolins. Excessive Ca(2+) entry, increased membrane permeability, disordered caveolar function, and increased levels of reactive oxygen species are early changes in the disease, and the hypotheses for these phenomena will be critically considered. The aim of the review is to define the early damage pathways in muscular dystrophy which might be appropriate targets for therapy designed to minimize the muscle degeneration and slow the progression of the disease.
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PMID:Absence of Dystrophin Disrupts Skeletal Muscle Signaling: Roles of Ca2+, Reactive Oxygen Species, and Nitric Oxide in the Development of Muscular Dystrophy. 2667 45