Morin improves dexamethasone-induced muscle atrophy by modulating atrophy-related genes and oxidative stress in female mice

This study investigated the effect of morin, a flavonoid, on dexamethasone-induced muscle atrophy in C57BL/6J female mice. Dexamethasone (10 mg/kg body weight) for 10 days significantly reduced body weight, gastrocnemius and tibialis anterior muscle mass, and muscle protein in mice. Dexamethasone significantly upregulated muscle atrophy-associated ubiquitin ligases, including atrogin-1 and MuRF-1, and the upstream transcription factors FoxO3a and Klf15. Additionally, dexamethasone significantly induced the expression of oxidative stress-sensitive ubiquitin ligase Cbl-b and the accumulation of the oxidative stress markers malondialdehyde and advanced protein oxidation products in both the plasma and skeletal muscle samples. Intriguingly, morin treatment (20 mg/kg body weight) for 17 days effectively attenuated the loss of muscle mass and muscle protein and suppressed the expression of ubiquitin ligases while reducing the expression of upstream transcriptional factors. Therefore, morin might act as a potential therapeutic agent to attenuate muscle atrophy by modulating atrophy-inducing genes and preventing oxidative stress.