Leucine-Rich Diet Modulates the Metabolomic and Proteomic Profile of Skeletal Muscle during Cancer Cachexia.

Cancer-cachexia induces a variety of metabolic disorders, including skeletal muscle imbalance. Alternative therapy, as nutritional supplementation with leucine, shows a modulatory effect over tumour damage in vivo and in vitro. Adult rats distributed into Control (C), Walker tumour-bearing (W), control fed a leucine-rich diet (L), and tumour-bearing fed a leucine-rich diet (WL) groups had the gastrocnemius muscle metabolomic and proteomic assays performed in parallel to in vitro assays.

A leucine-rich diet modulates the mTOR cell signalling pathway in the gastrocnemius muscle under different Walker-256 tumour growth conditions.

Background: The exact signalling mechanism of the mTOR complex remains a subject of constant debate, even with some evidence that amino acids participate in the same pathway as used for insulin signalling during protein synthesis. Therefore, this work conducted further study of the actions of amino acids, especially leucine, in vivo, in an experimental model of cachexia. We analysed the effects of a leucine-rich diet on the signalling pathway of protein synthesis in muscle during a tumour growth time-course.

L-leucine dietary supplementation modulates muscle protein degradation and increases pro-inflammatory cytokines in tumour-bearing rats.

Cancer cachexia is characterised by involuntary weight loss associated with systemic inflammation and metabolic changes. Studies aimed at maintaining lean body mass in cachectic tumour-bearing hosts have made important contributions reducing the number of deaths and improving the quality of life. In recent years, leucine has demonstrated effective action in maintaining lean body mass by decreasing muscle protein degradation.

Dietary leucine supplementation minimises tumour-induced damage in placental tissues of pregnant, tumour-bearing rats.

Background: The occurrence of cancer during pregnancy merges two complex, poorly understood metabolic and hormonal conditions. This association can exacerbate the conditions of both the mother and the foetus. The branched-chain amino acid leucine enhances cellular activity, particularly by increasing protein synthesis.

Activation of the low molecular weight protein tyrosine phosphatase in keratinocytes exposed to hyperosmotic stress.

Herein, we provide new contribution to the mechanisms involved in keratinocytes response to hyperosmotic shock showing, for the first time, the participation of Low Molecular Weight Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase (LMWPTP) activity in this event. We reported that sorbitol-induced osmotic stress mediates alterations in the phosphorylation of pivotal cytoskeletal proteins, particularly Src and cofilin. Furthermore, an increase in the expression of the phosphorylated form of LMWPTP, which was followed by an augment in its catalytic activity, was observed.

Hepatoprotective effect of Arctium lappa root extract on cadmium toxicity in adult Wistar rats.

This study was performed to determine the effects of Arctium lappa (Al) to protect against cadmium damage in the rat liver. Male rats received a single i.p.

Leucine-rich diet supplementation modulates foetal muscle protein metabolism impaired by Walker-256 tumour.

Background: Cancer-cachexia induces a variety of metabolic disorders of protein turnover and is more pronounced when associated with pregnancy. Tumour-bearing pregnant rats have impaired protein balance, which decreases protein synthesis and increases muscle breakdown. Because branched-chain amino acids, especially leucine, stimulate protein synthesis, we investigated the effect of a leucine-rich diet on protein metabolism in the foetal gastrocnemius muscles of tumour-bearing pregnant rats.