Background Muscle weakness and decreased fatigue resistance are key manifestations of systemic autoimmune myopathies (SAMs). We here examined whether high-intensity interval training (HIIT) improves fatigue resistance in the skeletal muscle of experimental autoimmune myositis (EAM) mice, a widely used animal model for SAM. Methods Female BALB/c mice were randomly assigned to control (CNT) or EAM groups (n = 28 in each group). EAM was induced by immunization with three injections of myosin emulsified in complete Freund’s adjuvant. The plantar flexor (PF) muscles of mice with EAM were exposed to either an acute bout or 4 weeks of HIIT (a total of 14 sessions). Results The fatigue resistance of PF muscles was lower in the EAM than in the CNT group (P < 0.05). These changes were associated with decreased activities of citrate synthase and cytochrome c oxidase and increased expression levels of the endoplasmic reticulum stress proteins (glucose-regulated protein 78 and 94, and PKR-like ER kinase) (P < 0.05). HIIT restored all these alterations and increased the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) and the mitochondrial electron transport chain complexes (I, III, and IV) in the muscles of EAM mice (P < 0.05). Conclusions HIIT improves fatigue resistance in a SAM mouse model, and this can be explained by the restoration of mitochondria oxidative capacity via inhibition of the ER stress pathway and PGC-1α-mediated mitochondrial biogenesis.

Eccentric contractions, in which the muscle is stretched during contraction, cause substantially greater damage than isometric (ISO) contractions, in which the length of the muscle does not change during contraction. Here, we tested the hypothesis that ISO training improves fatigue resistance in skeletal muscle from dystrophin-deficient mdx52 mice (15–22 wk old). ISO training (100 Hz stimulation frequency, 0.25-s contractions every 0.5 s, 6 sets of 60 contractions) was performed on the left plantar flexor muscles in vivo with supramaximal electrical stimulation every other day for 4 wk. Compared with the normal control muscle, resistance to fatigue was reduced in the nontrained muscle from mdx52 mice, which was accompanied by a reduction in citrate synthase activity and the LC3BII/I ratio and an increase in the phosphorylation levels of Akt Ser473 and the expression levels of p62. ISO training restored these alterations and markedly increased in vivo fatigue resistance and PGC-1α expression in mdx52 muscles. Moreover, an increased number of Evans Blue dye-positive fibers was significantly reduced by ISO training in mdx52 muscles. In contrast, ISO training did not restore a reduction in the amount of SH3 and cysteine-rich domain 3 in mdx muscles. Thus, our data suggest that mitochondrial function is impaired in dystrophin-deficient muscles, which is likely to be induced by the defective autophagy due to persistent activation of Akt. ISO training inhibits the aberrant activation of Akt presumably by up-regulating the PGC-1α expression, which results in improved mitochondrial function and thus fatigue resistance in dystrophin-deficient muscles.

She is interested in the mechanisms behind muscle adaptations in response to physical therapy and maladaptations in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Her long-term goals are to develop novel therapeutic interventions to treat skeletal muscle weakness and fatigue in patients with DMD.

A 67-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with a high fever. Laboratory tests revealed leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, liver dysfunction, rhabdomyolysis, and hyperferritinemia. He was diagnosed with severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) complicated by hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis and treated with steroid therapy, intravenous calcium channel blocker (CCB), and supportive care, without favipiravir. Serum levels of ferritin and soluble interleukin 2 receptor (sIL2R) were markedly elevated on Day 3 after admission and decreased thereafter, while an SFTS viral load of 6.8×10 4 copies/μL was detected on Day 2, increasing to 2.9×10 5 copies/μL on Day 6. Serum ferritin and sIL2R levels may be better indicators of mortality than the SFTS viral load, and CCBs may have a therapeutic effect.

The disruption of excitation-contraction (EC) coupling and subsequent reduction in Ca2+ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) have been shown to account for muscle weakness seen in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Here, we examined the mechanisms underlying EC uncoupling in skeletal muscles from mdx52 and DMD-null/NSG mice, animal models for DMD, focusing on the SH3 and cysteine rich domain 3 (STAC3) and junctophilin 1 (JP1), which link the dihydropyridine receptor (DHPR) in the transverse tubule and the ryanodine receptor 1 in the SR. The isometric plantarflexion torque normalized to muscle weight of whole plantar flexor muscles was depressed in mdx52 and DMD-null/NSG mice compared to their control mice. This was accompanied by increased autolysis of calpain-1, decreased levels of STAC3 and JP1 content, and dissociation of STAC3 and JP1 from DHPR-α1s in gastrocnemius muscles. Moreover, in vitro mechanistic experiments demonstrated that STAC3 and JP1 underwent Ca2+-dependent proteolysis which was less pronounced in dystrophin-deficient muscles where calpastatin, the endogenous calpain inhibitor, was upregulated. Eccentric contractions further enhanced autolysis of calpain-1 and proteolysis of STAC3 and JP1 that were associated with severe torque depression in gastrocnemius muscles from DMD-null/NSG mice. These data suggest that Ca2+-dependent proteolysis of STAC3 and JP1 may be an essential factor causing muscle weakness due to EC coupling failure in dystrophin-deficient muscles.