Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34479633›Full record

ArticleSkeletal muscle2021

Simvastatin does not alleviate muscle pathology in a mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Olga Mucha, Paulina Podkalicka, Katarzyna Kaziród, Emilia Samborowska, Józef Dulak, Agnieszka Łoboda

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Skeletal muscle, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
16citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

16 citing papers in PubMed.

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  6. Skeletal muscle disorders as risk factors for type 2 diabetes.Molecular and cellular endocrinology · 2025
    Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Olga MuchaDepartment of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387, Kraków, Poland.
Paulina PodkalickaDepartment of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387, Kraków, Poland.
Katarzyna KaziródDepartment of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387, Kraków, Poland.
Emilia SamborowskaMass Spectrometry Lab, Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warszawa, Poland.
Józef DulakDepartment of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387, Kraków, Poland.
Agnieszka ŁobodaDepartment of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387, Kraków, Poland. agnieszka.loboda@uj.edu.pl.ORCID 0000-0003-3523-3560

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDuchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an incurable disease, caused by the mutations in the DMD gene, encoding dystrophin, an actin-binding cytoskeletal protein. Lack of functional dystrophin results in muscle weakness, degeneration, and as an outcome cardiac and respiratory failure. As there is still no cure for affected individuals, the pharmacological compounds with the potential to treat or at least attenuate the symptoms of the disease are under constant evaluation. The pleiotropic agents, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors, known as statins, have been suggested to exert beneficial effects in the mouse model of DMD. On the other hand, they were also reported to induce skeletal-muscle myopathy. Therefore, we decided to verify the hypothesis that simvastatin may be considered a potential therapeutic agent in DMD.

methodsSeveral methods including functional assessment of muscle function via grip strength measurement, treadmill test, and single-muscle force estimation, enzymatic assays, histological analysis of muscle damage, gene expression evaluation, and immunofluorescence staining were conducted to study simvastatin-related alterations in the mdx mouse model of DMD.

resultsIn our study, simvastatin treatment of mdx mice did not result in improved running performance, grip strength, or specific force of the single muscle. Creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase activity, markers of muscle injury, were also unaffected by simvastatin delivery in mdx mice. Furthermore, no significant changes in inflammation, fibrosis, and angiogenesis were noted. Despite the decreased percentage of centrally nucleated myofibers in gastrocnemius muscle after simvastatin delivery, no changes were noticed in other regeneration-related parameters. Of note, even an increased rate of necrosis was found in simvastatin-treated mdx mice.

conclusionIn conclusion, our study revealed that simvastatin does not ameliorate DMD pathology.

Indexed as

Muscular Dystrophy, DuchenneAnimalsDisease Models, AnimalDystrophinMiceMice, Inbred mdxMuscle, SkeletalSimvastatinDystrophinSimvastatin3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitorsAngiogenesisDMDDuchenne muscular dystrophymdxSimvastatin

Identifiers

PMID34479633
PMCPMC8414747

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.