The effects of intraperitoneal clenbuterol injection on protein degradation and myostatin expression differ between the sartorius and pectoral muscles of neonatal chicks

Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of injection of the β2-adrenergic receptor agonist clenbuterol on the skeletal muscles of neonatal chicks ( Gallus gallus domesticus ). One-day-old chicks were randomly divided into four groups and given a single intraperitoneal injection of clenbuterol (0.01, 0.1, or 1 mg/kg) or phosphate-buffered saline. Twenty-four hours after the injection, the sartorius muscles (which consist of both slow- and fast-twitch fibers) of chicks that received 0.01 or 0.1 mg/kg clenbuterol were significantly heavier than those of controls, while there were no between-group differences in the weight of the pectoral muscles, which consist of only fast-twitch fibers. Muscle free N t -methylhistidine, regarded as an index of myofibrillar proteolysis, was decreased in the sartorius muscle of the clenbuterol-injected chicks, while it was not affected in the pectoral muscles. In the sartorius muscle of the clenbuterol-injected chicks, myostatin and atrogin-1/MAFbx mRNA expressions were decreased, while insulin-like growth factor-I was unaffected. These observations suggested, in 1-day-old chicks, clenbuterol might increase mass of the sartorius muscle by decreasing myostatin gene expression and protein degradation.