Protein Supplementation Enhances the Effects of Intermittent Loading on Skeletal Muscles by Activating the mTORC1 Signaling Pathway in a Rat Model of Disuse Atrophy

Inactivity leads to skeletal muscle atrophy, whereas intermittent loading (IL) during hind limb unloading (HU) attenuates muscle atrophy. However, the combined effects of IL and protein supplementation on disuse muscle atrophy are unclear. Therefore, we investigated the effects of IL and a high-protein oral nutritional supplement (HP) during HU on skeletal muscle mass and protein synthesis/breakdown. Male F344 rats were assigned to the control (CON), 14-day HU (HU), IL during HU (HU + IL), and IL during HU followed by HP administration (2.6 g protein/kg/day; HU + IL + HP) groups. Soleus and gastrocnemius muscles were sampled 30 min after the last IL and HP supplementation. HU decreased relative soleus and gastrocnemius muscle masses. Relative muscle masses and p70 ribosomal protein S6 kinase/ribosomal protein S6 phosphorylation in soleus and gastrocnemius muscles were higher in the HU + IL group than the HU group and further higher in the HU + IL + HP group than the HU + IL group in gastrocnemius muscle. Therefore, protein administration plus IL effectively prevented skeletal muscle atrophy induced by disuse, potentially via enhanced activation of targets downstream of mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) signaling pathway.