Functional and morphological recovery of dystrophic muscles in mice treated with deacetylase inhibitors

Abstract

Pharmacological interventions that increase myofiber size counter the functional decline of dystrophic muscles^1,2. We show that deacetylase inhibitors increase the size of myofibers in dystrophin-deficient (MDX) and α-sarcoglycan (α-SG)–deficient mice by inducing the expression of the myostatin antagonist follistatin³ in satellite cells. Deacetylase inhibitor treatment conferred on dystrophic muscles resistance to contraction-coupled degeneration and alleviated both morphological and functional consequences of the primary genetic defect. These results provide a rationale for using deacetylase inhibitors in the pharmacological therapy of muscular dystrophies.