Determinants of disuse-induced skeletal muscle atrophy: exercise and nutrition countermeasures to prevent protein loss

Muscle atrophy results from a variety of conditions such as disease states, neuromuscular injuries, disuse, and aging. Absence of gravitational loading during spaceflight or long-term bed rest predisposes humans to undergo substantial loss of muscle mass and, consequently, become unfit and/or unhealthy. Disuse- or inactivity-induced skeletal muscle protein loss takes place by differential modulation of proteolytic and synthetic systems. Transcriptional, translational, and posttranslational events are involved in the regulation of protein synthesis and degradation in myofibers, and these regulatory events are known to be responsive to contractile activity. However, regardless of the numerous studies which have been performed, the intracellular signals that mediate skeletal muscle wasting due to muscular disuse are not completely comprehended. Understanding the triggers of atrophy and the mechanisms that regulate protein loss in unloaded muscles may lead to the development of effective countermeasures such as exercise and dietary intervention. The objective of the present review is to provide a window into the molecular processes that underlie skeletal muscle remodeling and to examine what we know about exercise and nutrition countermeasures designed to minimize muscle atrophy.