Figure 4.
Cytoprotective effects of diazoxide against the muscle atrophy induced by glibenclamide and repaglinide in mice. The right hand flexor digitorum brevis (FDB), the extensor digitorum longus (EDL), and the soleus (SOL) muscles were incubated for 24 h, at 37°C, under 5% CO2/95% O2 atmosphere, with DMEM+ solution enriched with the diazoxide (Diazo.) (250 × 10−6 mol/L), glibenclamide (Glib.) (10−4 mol/L), repaglinide (Repa.) (10−4 mol/L), and the combination of glibenclamide or repaglinide (10−4 mol/L) and diazoxide (250 × 10−6 mol/L). The contralateral left hand muscles (controls) isolated from the same mice were incubated with a DMEM+ solution in the same experimental condition and used as controls. Diazoxide treatment, per se, did not affect the protein content in all muscles. The coincubation of the muscles with diazoxide + glibenclamide or repaglinide prevented the atrophy induced by these drugs in all muscles. The diazoxide-repaglinide or diazoxide-glibenclamide data were significantly different in respect to the glibenclamide or repaglinide data in FDB muscle. No significant differences were observed between the diazoxide-repaglinide or diazoxide-glibenclamide data and controls. The data are expressed as means ± SEM of a minimum of five sample replicates. The data (*) were significantly different with respect to the controls and (▪) to the glibenclamide or repaglinide data (P < 0.05) as determined by student t-test.