Abstract:
Background: Sarcopenia is age-related loss of muscle mass and function. Myostatin is the negative regulator of muscle mass and is the marker of muscle loss, and it is important in sarcopenia. Adequate nutritional intake in the elderly population has been emphasized to prevent sarcopenia. Edible insects are rich in nutrients, such as proteins, fats, minerals, and vitamins but
little research has been done on their beneficial effects in ameliorating sarcopenia. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of cricket (Gryllus bimaculatus) powder extract (CPE) and protein powder extract (CPPE) on myostatin (MSTN) gene expression in C2C12 cells.
Methods: C2C12 cells were treated with CPE and CPPE at ~0.01-1.0mg/mL of CPE or CPPE for 24 h, and then the cell viability was determined by MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium] assay; the myostatin(MSTN) mRNA expression levels were also measured in the CPE and CPPE treated C2C12 cells. The transcriptional regulation of the MSTN promoter was determined using the luciferase reporter assay.
Results: Cytotoxicity was not observed when the C2C12 cells were treated with CPE or CPPE in the concentration range of ~00.1-1.0 mg/mL. Treatment of C2C12 cells with CPE and CPPE at 10 μg/mL each for 24h decreased MSTN expression by 77% and 44% (p<0.05), respectively. Moreover, CPE and CPPE treatments suppressed MSTN promoter in the C2C12 cells by 35.9% and 13.6% (p<0.05), respectively.
Conclusion: Both CPE and CPPE can decrease myostatin expression in C2C12 cells; and thus can suppress sarcopenia, and CPE may be more effective than CPPE.