Regulation of Hepatic Triacylglycerol Metabolism by CGI-58 Does Not Require ATGL Co-activation.

Adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL) and comparative gene identification 58 (CGI-58) are critical regulators of triacylglycerol (TAG) turnover. CGI-58 is thought to regulate TAG mobilization by stimulating the enzymatic activity of ATGL. However, it is not known whether this coactivation function of CGI-58 occurs in vivo. Moreover, the phenotype of human CGI-58 mutations suggests ATGL-independent functions. Through direct comparison of mice with single or double deficiency of CGI-58 and ATGL, we show here that CGI-58 knockdown causes hepatic steatosis in both the presence and absence of ATGL. CGI-58 also regulates hepatic diacylglycerol (DAG) and inflammation in an ATGL-independent manner. Interestingly, ATGL deficiency, but not CGI-58 deficiency, results in suppression of the hepatic and adipose de novo lipogenic program. Collectively, these findings show that CGI-58 regulates hepatic neutral lipid storage and inflammation in the genetic absence of ATGL, demonstrating that mechanisms driving TAG lipolysis in hepatocytes differ significantly from those in adipocytes.

The serine hydrolase ABHD6 Is a critical regulator of the metabolic syndrome.

The serine hydrolase α/ß hydrolase domain 6 (ABHD6) has recently been implicated as a key lipase for the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonylglycerol (2-AG) in the brain. However, the biochemical and physiological function for ABHD6 outside of the central nervous system has not been established. To address this, we utilized targeted antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) to selectively knock down ABHD6 in peripheral tissues in order to identify in vivo substrates and understand ABHD6's role in energy metabolism. Here, we show that selective knockdown of ABHD6 in metabolic tissues protects mice from high-fat-diet-induced obesity, hepatic steatosis, and systemic insulin resistance. Using combined in vivo lipidomic identification and in vitro enzymology approaches, we show that ABHD6 can hydrolyze several lipid substrates, positioning ABHD6 at the interface of glycerophospholipid metabolism and lipid signal transduction. Collectively, these data suggest that ABHD6 inhibitors may serve as therapeutics for obesity, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and type II diabetes.

Deficiency of liver Comparative Gene Identification-58 causes steatohepatitis and fibrosis in mice.

Triglyceride (TG) accumulation in hepatocytes (hepatic steatosis) preludes the development of advanced nonalcoholic fatty liver diseases (NAFLDs) such as steatohepatitis, fibrosis, and cirrhosis. Mutations in human Comparative Gene Identification-58 (CGI-58) cause cytosolic TG-rich lipid droplets to accumulate in almost all cell types including hepatocytes. However, it is unclear if CGI-58 mutation causes hepatic steatosis locally or via altering lipid metabolism in other tissues. To directly address this question, we created liver-specific CGI-58 knockout (LivKO) mice. LivKO mice on standard chow diet displayed microvesicular and macrovesicular panlobular steatosis, and progressed to advanced NAFLD stages over time, including lobular inflammation and centrilobular fibrosis. Compared with CGI-58 floxed control littermates, LivKO mice showed 8-fold and 52-fold increases in hepatic TG content, which was associated with 40% and 58% decreases in hepatic TG hydrolase activity at 16 and 42 weeks, respectively. Hepatic cholesterol also increased significantly in LivKO mice. At 42 weeks, LivKO mice showed increased hepatic oxidative stress, plasma aminotransferases, and hepatic mRNAs for genes involved in fibrosis and inflammation, such as α-smooth muscle actin, collagen type 1 α1, tumor necrosis factor α, and interleukin-1ß. In conclusion, CGI-58 deficiency in the liver directly causes not only hepatic steatosis but also steatohepatitis and fibrosis.

CGI-58/ABHD5-derived signaling lipids regulate systemic inflammation and insulin action.

Mutations of comparative gene identification 58 (CGI-58) in humans cause Chanarin-Dorfman syndrome, a rare autosomal recessive disease in which excess triacylglycerol (TAG) accumulates in multiple tissues. CGI-58 recently has been ascribed two distinct biochemical activities, including coactivation of adipose triglyceride lipase and acylation of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA). It is noteworthy that both the substrate (LPA) and the product (phosphatidic acid) of the LPA acyltransferase reaction are well-known signaling lipids. Therefore, we hypothesized that CGI-58 is involved in generating lipid mediators that regulate TAG metabolism and insulin sensitivity. Here, we show that CGI-58 is required for the generation of signaling lipids in response to inflammatory stimuli and that lipid second messengers generated by CGI-58 play a critical role in maintaining the balance between inflammation and insulin action. Furthermore, we show that CGI-58 is necessary for maximal TH1 cytokine signaling in the liver. This novel role for CGI-58 in cytokine signaling may explain why diminished CGI-58 expression causes severe hepatic lipid accumulation yet paradoxically improves hepatic insulin action. Collectively, these findings establish that CGI-58 provides a novel source of signaling lipids. These findings contribute insight into the basic mechanisms linking TH1 cytokine signaling to nutrient metabolism.

Adipose-selective overexpression of ABHD5/CGI-58 does not increase lipolysis or protect against diet-induced obesity.

Adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL) catalyzes the first step of triacylglycerol hydrolysis in adipocytes. Abhydrolase domain 5 (ABHD5) increases ATGL activity by an unknown mechanism. Prior studies have suggested that the expression of ABHD5 is limiting for lipolysis in adipocytes, as addition of recombinant ABHD5 increases in vitro TAG hydrolase activity of adipocyte lysates. To test this hypothesis in vivo, we generated transgenic mice that express 6-fold higher ABHD5 in adipose tissue relative to wild-type (WT) mice. In vivo lipolysis increased to a similar extent in ABHD5 transgenic and WT mice following an overnight fast or injection of either a ß-adrenergic receptor agonist or lipopolysaccharide. Similarly, basal and ß-adrenergic-stimulated lipolysis was comparable in adipocytes isolated from ABHD5 transgenic and WT mice. Although ABHD5 expression was elevated in thioglycolate-elicited macrophages from ABHD5 transgenic mice, Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling was comparable in macrophages isolated from ABHD5 transgenic and WT mice. Overexpression of ABHD5 did not prevent the development of obesity in mice fed a high-fat diet, as shown by comparison of body weight, body fat percentage, and adipocyte hypertrophy of ABHD5 transgenic to WT mice. The expression of ABHD5 in mouse adipose tissue is not limiting for either basal or stimulated lipolysis.

Niemann-pick C1-like 1 (NPC1L1) protein in intestinal and hepatic cholesterol transport.

Increased blood cholesterol is an independent risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Cholesterol homeostasis in the body is controlled mainly by endogenous synthesis, intestinal absorption, and hepatic excretion. Niemann-Pick C1-Like 1 (NPC1L1) is a polytopic transmembrane protein localized at the apical membrane of enterocytes and the canalicular membrane of hepatocytes. It functions as a sterol transporter to mediate intestinal cholesterol absorption and counter-balances hepatobiliary cholesterol excretion. NPC1L1 is the molecular target of ezetimibe, a potent cholesterol absorption inhibitor that is widely used in treating hypercholesterolemia. Recent findings suggest that NPC1L1 deficiency or ezetimibe treatment also prevents diet-induced hepatic steatosis and obesity in addition to reducing blood cholesterol. Future studies should focus on molecular mechanisms underlying NPC1L1-dependent cholesterol transport and elucidation of how a cholesterol transporter modulates the pathogenesis of metabolic diseases.

CGI-58 knockdown in mice causes hepatic steatosis but prevents diet-induced obesity and glucose intolerance.

Mutations of Comparative Gene Identification-58 (CGI-58) in humans cause triglyceride (TG) accumulation in multiple tissues. Mice genetically lacking CGI-58 die shortly after birth due to a skin barrier defect. To study the role of CGI-58 in integrated lipid and energy metabolism, we utilized antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) to inhibit CGI-58 expression in adult mice. Treatment with two distinct CGI-58-targeting ASOs resulted in ∼80-95% knockdown of CGI-58 protein expression in both liver and white adipose tissue. In chow-fed mice, ASO-mediated depletion of CGI-58 did not alter weight gain, plasma TG, or plasma glucose, yet raised hepatic TG levels ∼4-fold. When challenged with a high-fat diet (HFD), CGI-58 ASO-treated mice were protected against diet-induced obesity, but their hepatic contents of TG, diacylglycerols, and ceramides were all elevated, and intriguingly, their hepatic phosphatidylglycerol content was increased by 10-fold. These hepatic lipid alterations were associated with significant decreases in hepatic TG hydrolase activity, hepatic lipoprotein-TG secretion, and plasma concentrations of ketones, nonesterified fatty acids, and insulin. Additionally, HFD-fed CGI-58 ASO-treated mice were more glucose tolerant and insulin sensitive. Collectively, this work demonstrates that CGI-58 plays a critical role in limiting hepatic steatosis and maintaining hepatic glycerophospholipid homeostasis and has unmasked an unexpected role for CGI-58 in promoting HFD-induced obesity and insulin resistance.

Nitric oxide regulates stretch-induced proliferation in C2C12 myoblasts.

Mechanical stretch of skeletal muscle activates nitric oxide (NO) production and is an important stimulator of satellite cell proliferation. Further, cyclooxygenase (COX) activity has been shown to promote satellite cell proliferation in response to stretch. Since COX-2 expression in skeletal muscle can be regulated by NO we sought to determine if NO is required for stretch-induced myoblast proliferation and whether supplemental NO can counter the effects of COX-2 and NF-kappaB inhibitors. C2C12 myoblasts were cultured for 24 h, then switched to medium containing either the NOS inhibitor, L-NAME (200 microM), the COX-2 specific inhibitor NS-398 (100 microM), the NF-kappaB inhibiting antioxidant, PDTC (5 mM), the nitric oxide donor, DETA-NONOate (10-100 microM) or no supplement (control) for 24 h. Subgroups of each treatment were exposed to 1 h of 15% cyclic stretch (1 Hz), and were then allowed to proliferate for 24 h before fixing. Proliferation was measured by BrdU incorporation during the last hour before fixing, and DAPI stain. Stretch induced a twofold increase in nuclear number compared to control, and this effect was completely inhibited by L-NAME, NS-398 or PDTC (P < 0.05). Although DETA-NONOate (10 microM) did not affect basal proliferation, the NO-donor augmented the stretch-induced increase in proliferation and rescued stretch-induced proliferation in NS-398-treated cells, but not in PDTC-treated cells. In conclusion, NO, COX-2, and NF-kappaB are necessary for stretch-induced proliferation of myoblasts. Although COX-2 and NF-kappaB are both involved in basal proliferation, NO does not affect basal growth. Thus, NO requires the synergistic effect of stretch in order to induce muscle cell proliferation.

Niemann-Pick C1-Like 1 deletion in mice prevents high-fat diet-induced fatty liver by reducing lipogenesis.

Niemann-Pick C1-Like 1 (NPC1L1) mediates intestinal absorption of dietary and biliary cholesterol. Ezetimibe, by inhibiting NPC1L1 function, is widely used to treat hypercholesterolemia in humans. Interestingly, ezetimibe treatment appears to attenuate hepatic steatosis in rodents and humans without a defined mechanism. Over-consumption of a high-fat diet (HFD) represents a major cause of metabolic disorders including fatty liver. To determine whether and how NPC1L1 deficiency prevents HFD-induced hepatic steatosis, in this study, we fed NPC1L1 knockout (L1-KO) mice and their wild-type (WT) controls an HFD, and found that 24 weeks of HFD feeding causes no fatty liver in L1-KO mice. Hepatic fatty acid synthesis and levels of mRNAs for lipogenic genes are substantially reduced but hepatic lipoprotein-triglyceride production, fatty acid oxidation, and triglyceride hydrolysis remain unaltered in L1-KO versus WT mice. Strikingly, L1-KO mice are completely protected against HFD-induced hyperinsulinemia under both fed and fasted states and during glucose challenge. Despite similar glucose tolerance, L1-KO relative WT mice are more insulin sensitive and in the overnight-fasted state display significantly lower plasma glucose concentrations. In conclusion, NPC1L1 deficiency in mice prevents HFD-induced fatty liver by reducing hepatic lipogenesis, at least in part, through attenuating HFD-induced insulin resistance, a state known to drive hepatic lipogenesis through elevated circulating insulin levels.

NPC1L1 and cholesterol transport.

The polytopic transmembrane protein, Niemann-Pick C1-Like 1 (NPC1L1), is enriched in the apical membrane of small intestine absorptive enterocytes where it mediates extracellular sterol transport across the brush border membrane. It is essential for intestinal sterol absorption and is the molecular target of ezetimibe, a potent cholesterol absorption inhibitor that lowers blood cholesterol in humans. NPC1L1 is also highly expressed in human liver. The hepatic function of NPC1L1 may be to limit excessive biliary cholesterol loss. NPC1L1-dependent sterol uptake seems to be a clathrin-mediated endocytic process and is regulated by cellular cholesterol content. Recently, NPC1L1 inhibition has been shown to have beneficial effects on components of the metabolic syndrome, such as obesity, insulin resistance, and fatty liver, in addition to atherosclerosis.

Supplemental nitric oxide augments satellite cell activity on cultured myofibers from aged mice.

Skeletal muscle regenerative potential is reduced with aging. We hypothesized that in vitro activation of muscle satellite cells would be compromised, and that nitric oxide (NO) supplementation would improve satellite cell activity in old muscle. Single intact myofibers were isolated from the gastrocnemius muscles of young (2 mo), adult (10 mo), and aged (22 mo) mice. Fibers were centrifuged to stimulate satellite cells and incubated with L-arginine (2mM), the NO donor, diethylenetriamine NONOate (DETA-NO; 10 microM), or control media for 48 h. The number of activated satellite cells after centrifugation was reduced in aged fibers compared to young and adult. L-arginine or DETA-NO treatment increased satellite cell activation in all age groups. However, an age-dependent deficit in satellite cell activity persisted within treatment groups. In separate fibers, exogenous HGF was equally effective in activating satellite cells across age groups, indicating that events downstream of HGF release are intact in aged muscle. These data suggest that l-arginine bioavailability and NO production limit muscle satellite cell activity in response to a submaximal mechanical stimulus, regardless of age. Further, the decline in satellite cell activity in early senescence can be partially abrogated by exogenous L-arginine or an NO donor.

Nitric oxide reverses prednisolone-induced inactivation of muscle satellite cells.

Long-term corticosteroid therapy causes myopathy and can inhibit regeneration of skeletal muscle. Therefore, we hypothesized that corticosteroid exposure reduces satellite cell activity in skeletal myofibers. Male Swiss-Webster mice were injected daily for 8 weeks with prednisolone (GC) or vehicle (control). Single myofibers were isolated from the gastrocnemius, centrifuged to mechanically activate satellite cells, and maintained in culture for 48 h. Both constitutive nitric oxide synthase (NOS) isoforms were reduced in muscle by GC treatment (nNOS: -30%, eNOS: -34%). Fewer myogenic (myoD+) cells emanated from GC myofibers compared to control (-61%, P < 0.05). Supplementation of culture media with the nitric oxide donor, diethylenetriamine NONOate (DETA-NO; 5-50 microM), caused a dose-dependent increase in the number of myoD+ cells arising from both control and GC myofibers (P < 0.05), and 10 and 50 microM DETA-NO eliminated the GC-induced deficit in myogenic cells (P > 0.05). Therefore, supplementation of GC myofibers with DETA-NO restores satellite cell activity to control levels. Nitric oxide production could be an important therapeutic target for the prevention of corticosteroid myopathy.

Nitric oxide increases GLUT4 expression and regulates AMPK signaling in skeletal muscle.

Nitric oxide (NO) and 5'-AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) are involved in glucose transport and mitochondrial biogenesis in skeletal muscle. Here, we examined whether NO regulates the expression of the major glucose transporter in muscle (GLUT4) and whether it influences AMPK-induced upregulation of GLUT4. At low levels, the NO donor S-nitroso-N-penicillamine (SNAP, 1 and 10 microM) significantly increased GLUT4 mRNA ( approximately 3-fold; P < 0.05) in L6 myotubes, and cotreatment with the AMPK inhibitor compound C ablated this effect. The cGMP analog 8-bromo-cGMP (8-Br-cGMP, 2 mM) increased GLUT4 mRNA by approximately 50% (P < 0.05). GLUT4 protein expression was elevated 40% by 2 days treatment with 8-Br-cGMP, whereas 6 days treatment with 10 microM SNAP increased GLUT4 expression by 65%. Cotreatment of cultures with the guanylyl cyclase inhibitor 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3,-a]quinoxalin-1-one prevented the SNAP-induced increase in GLUT4 protein. SNAP (10 microM) also induced significant phosphorylation of alpha-AMPK and acetyl-CoA carboxylase and translocation of phosphorylated alpha-AMPK to the nucleus. Furthermore, L6 myotubes exposed to 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-beta-d-ribofuranoside (AICAR) for 16 h presented an approximately ninefold increase in GLUT4 mRNA, whereas cotreatment with the non-isoform-specific NOS inhibitor N(G)-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester, prevented approximately 70% of this effect. In vivo, GLUT4 mRNA was increased 1.8-fold in the rat plantaris muscle 12 h after AICAR injection, and this induction was reduced by approximately 50% in animals cotreated with the neuronal and inducible nitric oxide synthases selective inhibitor 1-(2-trifluoromethyl-phenyl)-imidazole. We conclude that, in skeletal muscle, NO increases GLUT4 expression via a cGMP- and AMPK-dependent mechanism. The data are consistent with a role for NO in the regulation of AMPK, possibly via control of cellular activity of AMPK kinases and/or AMPK phosphatases.

Arginine supplementation induces myoblast fusion via augmentation of nitric oxide production.

The semi-essential amino acid, L-arginine (L-Arg), is the substrate for endogenous synthesis of nitric oxide, a molecule that is involved in myoblast proliferation and fusion. Since L-Arg supply may limit nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity in endothelial cells, we examined L-Arg supplementation in differentiating mouse myoblasts and tested the hypothesis that L-Arg exerts direct effects on myoblast fusion via augmentation of endogenous nitric oxide production. C(2)C(12) myoblasts in differentiation media received one of the following treatments for 120 h: 1 mM L-Arg, 0.1 mM N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), L-Arg + L-NAME, 10 mM L-Lysine, or no supplement (Control). Cultures were fixed and stained with hematoxylin and eosin for microphotometric image analysis of myotube density, nuclear density, and fusion index (% of total nuclei in myotubes). Endogenous production of nitric oxide during the treatment period peaked between 24 and 48 h. L-Arg amplified nitric oxide production between 0 and 24 h and increased myotube density, total nuclei number, and nuclear fusion index. These L-Arg effects were prevented by the NOS inhibitor, L-NAME. Further, L-Lysine, a competitive inhibitor of L-Arg uptake, repressed nitric oxide production and reduced myotube density and fusion index. In summary, L-Arg augments myotube formation and increases nitric oxide production in a process limited by cellular L-Arg uptake.

Ibuprofen inhibits skeletal muscle hypertrophy in rats.

PURPOSE: We sought to determine whether cyclooxygenase (COX) activity is necessary for overload-induced growth of adult rat skeletal muscle, and whether nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity is involved in upregulation of COX messenger RNA (mRNA) expression in skeletal muscle. METHODS: Unilateral surgical removal of the gastrocnemius and soleus was performed on the right hindlimb of 16 female Sprague-Dawley rats (approximately 230 g) to induce chronic overload (OL) of the plantaris for 14 d, with sham surgeries performed on the contralateral leg as a normally loaded (NL) control. Half of the rats were treated with the nonspecific COX inhibitor, ibuprofen (0.2 mg.mL(-1) in drinking water; approximately 20 mg.kg(-1).d(-1)). In a second experiment, the plantaris was unilaterally overloaded for 5 or 14 d in male rats (approximately 350 g; N = 16 rats per time point) and half of the animals were treated with the NOS inhibitor, L-NAME (0.75 mg.mL(-1) in drinking water; approximately 90 mg.kg(-1).d(-1)). RESULTS: Ibuprofen treatment inhibited plantaris hypertrophy by approximately 50% (P < 0.05) following 14 d of OL, as did L-NAME treatment (P < 0.05). COX-1 and COX-2 mRNA did not differ between any groups at 5 d. At 14 d, however, L-NAME caused a 30-fold increase in plantaris COX-1 mRNA expression independent of loading condition. Additionally, OL induced a 20-fold increase in COX-2 mRNA expression compared with NL (P < 0.05) at 14 d, without affecting COX-1 mRNA level. L-NAME treatment significantly inhibited OL-induced expression of COX-2 mRNA. CONCLUSION: COX activity is important for in vivo muscle hypertrophy, and plantaris overload is associated with NOS activity-dependent COX-2 expression.

In vivo inhibition of nitric oxide synthase impairs upregulation of contractile protein mRNA in overloaded plantaris muscle.

Inhibition of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity in vivo impedes hypertrophy in the overloaded rat plantaris. We investigated the mechanism for this effect by examining early events leading to muscle growth following 5 or 12 days of functional overload. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (approximately 350 g) were randomly divided into three treatment groups: control, N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME; 90 mg.kg(-1).day(-1)), and 1-(2-trifluoromethyl-phenyl)-imidazole (TRIM; 10 mg.kg(-1).day(-1)). Unilateral removal of synergists induced chronic overload (OL) of the right plantaris. Sham surgery performed on the left hindlimb served as a normally loaded control. L-NAME and TRIM treatments prevented OL-induced skeletal alpha-actin and type I (slow) myosin heavy chain mRNA expression at 5 days. Conversely, neither L-NAME nor TRIM affected hepatocyte growth factor or VEGF mRNA responses to OL at 5 days. However, OL induction of IGF-I and mechanogrowth factor mRNA was greater (P < 0.05) in the TRIM group compared with the controls. Furthermore, the phosphorylated-to-total p70 S6 kinase ratio was higher in OL muscle from NOS-inhibited groups, compared with control OL. At 12 days of OL, the cumulative proliferation of plantaris satellite cells was assessed by subcutaneous implantation of time release 5'-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine pellets during the OL-inducing surgeries. Although OL caused a fivefold increase in the number of mitotically active (5'-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine positive) sublaminar nuclei, this was unaffected by concurrent NOS inhibition. Therefore, NOS activity may provide negative feedback control of IGF-I/p70 S6 kinase signaling during muscle growth. Moreover, NOS activity may be involved in transcriptional regulation of skeletal alpha-actin and type I (slow) myosin heavy chain during functional overload.

Trolox attenuates mechanical ventilation-induced diaphragmatic dysfunction and proteolysis.

Prolonged mechanical ventilation results in diaphragmatic oxidative injury, elevated proteolysis, fiber atrophy, and reduced force-generating capacity. We tested the hypothesis that antioxidant infusion during mechanical ventilation would function as an antioxidant to maintain redox balance within diaphragm muscle fibers and therefore prevent oxidative stress and subsequent proteolysis and contractile dysfunction. Sprague-Dawley rats were anesthetized, tracheostomized, and mechanically ventilated with 21% O(2) for 12 hours. The antioxidant Trolox was intravenously infused in a subset of ventilated animals. Compared with acutely anesthetized, nonventilated control animals, mechanical ventilation resulted in a significant reduction (-17%) in diaphragmatic maximal tetanic force. Importantly, Trolox completely attenuated this mechanical ventilation-induced diaphragmatic contractile deficit. Total diaphragmatic proteolysis was increased 105% in mechanical ventilation animals compared with controls. In contrast, diaphragmatic proteolysis did not differ between controls and mechanical ventilation-Trolox animals. Moreover, 20S proteasome activity in the diaphragm was elevated in the mechanical ventilation animals (+76%); Trolox treatment attenuated this mechanical ventilation-induced rise in protease activity. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that mechanical ventilation-induced oxidative stress is an important factor regulating mechanical ventilation-induced diaphragmatic proteolysis and contractile dysfunction. Our findings suggest that antioxidant therapy could be beneficial during prolonged mechanical ventilation.

Cumulative effects of aging and mechanical ventilation on in vitro diaphragm function.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Unloading the diaphragm, via mechanical ventilation (MV), results in significant diaphragmatic atrophy, contractile dysfunction, and oxidative stress in young adult animals. Since aging increases skeletal muscle susceptibility to atrophy and injury, we tested the hypothesis that MV-induced diaphragmatic contractile dysfunction would be exacerbated in aging rats. METHODS: Fisher 344/Brown Norway hybrid rats (4 months old [young] and 30 months old [old]) were assigned to either control or MV groups. MV rats were anesthetized, tracheostomized, and ventilated with 21% O(2) for 12 h. Arterial BP, pH, and blood gas homeostasis were maintained in the MV animals throughout the experimental period. Animals in the control group were acutely anesthetized, and the diaphragms were immediately removed. Muscle strips from the mid-costal diaphragm were removed from each experimental animal, and contractile properties were studied in vitro. RESULTS: Compared to young control animals, aging (old control animals) was associated with a 13% decrease in maximal isometric tension (24.5 N/cm(2) vs 21.3 N/cm(2)). Although, MV induced similar relative losses (24%) in diaphragmatic isometric tension in both young and old animals receiving MV, the combined effects of aging and MV resulted in a 34% decrement in diaphragmatic isometric tension compared to young control animals (24.5 N/cm(2) vs 16.1 N/cm(2)). CONCLUSIONS: These data do not support the hypothesis that aging exacerbates the relative MV-induced impairment in diaphragmatic isometric tension. Nonetheless, the additive effects of aging and MV have dramatic effects on diaphragmatic force reserve. This could exacerbate weaning difficulties in older individuals receiving MV.