Preferential skeletal muscle myosin loss in response to mechanical silencing in a novel rat intensive care unit model : underlying mechanisms

Non-technical summary Wasting and severely impaired function of skeletal muscle is frequently observed in critically ill intensive care unit (ICU) patients, with negative consequences for recovery and quality of life. An experimental rat ICU model has been used to study the mechanisms underlying this unique wasting condition in neuromuscularly blocked and mechanically ventilated animals at durations varying between 6 h and 2 weeks. The complete 'mechanical silencing' of skeletal muscle (removal of both weight bearing and activation) resulted in a specific myopathy frequently observed in ICU patients and characterized by a preferential loss of the motor protein myosin. A highly complex and coordinated protein synthesis and degradation system was observed in the time-resolved analyses. It is suggested the 'mechanical silencing' of skeletal muscle is a dominating factor triggering the specific myopathy associated with the ICU intervention, and strongly supporting the importance of interventions counteracting the complete unloading in ICU patients.The muscle wasting and impaired muscle function in critically ill intensive care unit (ICU) patients delay recovery from the primary disease, and have debilitating consequences that can persist for years after hospital discharge. It is likely that, in addition to pernicious effects of the primary disease, the basic life support procedures of long-term ICU treatment contribute directly to the progressive impairment of muscle function. This study aims at improving our understanding of the mechanisms underlying muscle wasting in ICU patients by using a unique experimental rat ICU model where animals are mechanically ventilated, sedated and pharmacologically paralysed for duration varying between 6 h and 14 days. Results show that the ICU intervention induces a phenotype resembling the severe muscle wasting and paralysis associated with the acute quadriplegic myopathy (AQM) observed in ICU patients, i.e. a preferential loss of myo