Skip to main content
. 2018 Nov 18;2018:8654719. doi: 10.1155/2018/8654719

Table 3.

Summary of articles on complementary and alternative medicine therapies for muscular atrophy (in vivo + in vitro).

Authors Design Origin Group / Sample Size (n) Sample Model Duration Outcome Measures Quantity and Type of Intervention Main Outcomes
Kim AY
2016 [32]
In vivo/
In vitro
Korea In vivo
Total n = 20
No tumor (5)
Tumor + Saline (5)
Tumor + SO50 (5)
Tumor + SO100 (5)
In vivo:
CT-26 s.c injection tumor-bearing mice
(BALB/c mice, 6 wk, M)
In vivo: 18 d
In vivo:
(1) Body weight
(2) Muscle weight
(3) NO, inflammatory cytokines
(4) phos-p38, IкBα, IKKαβ, STAT3
Sosiho-tang (SO)
In vivo:
(i) SO: fed 50 or 100 mg/kg,
days 10 to 27 after tumor inoculation
(ii) Control: fed saline
In vivo:
(1) Body weight: Normal > T + SO (100) > T + SO (50) > T + Saline
(2) Muscle weight: Normal T + SO (100) T+SO (50) > T + Saline
(3) NO: dose-dependently suppress (p<0.05 vs. control)
IL-6, IL-1α, TNF-α, IL-1β: T + Saline > T + SO (p<0.05)
(4) phos-p38↓, IкBα↓, IKKαβ↓, STAT3↓: T + Saline > T+SO
In vitro
CON
SO-0, -50, -100
In vitro:
CT-26-mediated C2C12 myoblast
In vitro: 48 h In vitro:
(1) IL-6, TNF-α
(2) Muscle wasting & myotubes
In vitro:
(i) SO powder dissolved in 10% DS to 50 μg/ml, 100 μg/ml for 48 h
In vitro:
(1) IL-6, TNF-α: T + Saline > T+SO (10) > T+SO (50) >T+SO (100) (p<0.05 vs. control)
(2) Muscle wasting↓
Intact myotubes↑

Zhang ZK
2016 [33]
In vivo/
In vitro
China In vivo:
Baseline (10)
Age-matched control (10)
HS (10)
L-ICT + HS (10)
H-ICT + HS (10)
W (10)
L-ICT + W (10)
H-ICT + W (10)
In vivo: Rats with or without wortmannin inj. (15 μm/kg/day) for 28 d HS
(SD rat, 3 mo, M)
In vivo: 28 d In vivo:
(1) Mass outcome (muscle weight, fiber CSA)
(2) Muscle function
ICT: Icaritin
In vivo:
(i) Low ICT (L-ICT): 80 mg/kg/day
(ii) High-ICT (H-ICT): 120 mg/kg/day,
oral intake
In vivo:
(1) Mass outcome:
HS < L-ICT + HS < H-ICT + HS < Baseline (p<0.05)
W < L-ICT + W < H-ICT + W < Baseline (p<0.05)
(2) Functional outcome:
HS < L-ICT + HS < H-ICT + HS < Baseline (p<0.05)
W < L-ICT + W < H-ICT + W < Baseline (p<0.05)
In vitro:
CON
ICT 5, 10, 20
In vitro: Wortmannin (W) pre-incubated C2C12 cell
In vitro: 24 h
In vitro
(1) PI3K/Akt signaling proteins
In vitro: ICT 5 μM or 10 μM or 20 μM for 24 h
In vitro:
(1) PI3K-p110, p-Akt, p-mTOR, p70S6K, p-4EBP1:
ICT > ICT+W > W (p<0.05)
FOXO1, FOXO3a: ICT < ICT+W < W (p<0.05)
Atrogin-1, MuRF-1: ICT < ICT + wort < wort (p<0.05)
Atrogin-1, MuRF-1: Control > ICT10 > ICT20 (p<0.05 vs. CON)

Sung BK
2015
[34]
In vivo/
In vitro
Korea In vivo:
Young-Control (YC)
Young-LE (YL)
Old-Control (OC)
Old-LE (OL)
(n = 4~6 per group)
In vivo:
Young SD rat (5 mo, M)
Old SD rat (18-19 mo, M)
In vivo:
35 d
In vivo:
(1) Muscle mass
(2) Muscle function
(3) Muscle CK activity
In vivo:
Loquat leaf extract (LE)
fed 50 mg/kg/day for 35 d
In vivo:
(1) Muscle mass: OL > OC (p<0.05)
(2) Muscle strength: OL > OC (p<0.05)
(3) CK activity: OL > OC (p<0.05)
In vitro:
CON
LE 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, 2.5
In vitro:
C2C12 myoblasts (untreated)
In vitro:
24 h
In vitro:
(1) C2C12 viability
(2) Myogenic proteins
(3) CK activity
(4) Akt/mTOR pathway
In vitro:
LE 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, 2.5 μg/ml for 24 h
In vitro:
(1) Cell viability: control < LE
(2) MyHC, MyoD: control < LE 0.25 < LE 0.5 < LE 1.0 < LE 2.5
(3) CK activity: control < LE 1.0 < LE 2.5 (p<0.01)
(4) PI3K, Akt, mTOR: control < LE

Lu L
2016 [35]
In vivo/
In vitro
China In vivo
Total n = 160
Sham OP (SOP) (40)
OP (40)
OP + APS (40)
SOP + APS (40)
In vivo:
5/6 nephrectomized
SD rats (SD rat, 6 wk, M)
In vivo:
155 d
In vivo:
(1) Body weight
(2) Cross-sectional area
(3) p-Akt/mTOR, MuRF1/MAFbx and Autophagy signaling
(4) Amino acid carriers
(5) Pro-inflammatory & Oxidative factor
In vivo:
Control: Normal diet, Sham OP
APS: Normal diet with 2% Astragalus polysaccharide
In vivo:
(1) Body weight: OP < OP+APS < SOP (p<0.05)
(2) Mean CSA: OP + APS > OP (p<0.05)
(3) p-Akt, mTOR: OP < OP + APS (p<0.05)
MuRF1, MUFbx: OP > OP + APS (p<0.05)
Atg7, LC3B: OP > OP + APS (p<0.05)
(4) SLC38A2, ATF4: OP < OP + APS (p<0.05)
(5) TNF-α, IL-15, CRP: OP > OP + APS (p<0.05)
MDA: OP > OP + APS (p<0.05)
SOD: OP < OP + APS (p<0.05)
In vitro
Control
TNF-α
TNF-α + APS 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1, 2
In vitro:
TNF-α treated C2C12 cell
In vitro:
48 h
In vitro:
(1) Myotube diameter
(2) Akt/mTOR, ubiquitin proteasome, autophagy signaling
In vitro:
APS: 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1, 2 mg/mL APS
80 ng/mL TNF-α treated
In vitro:
(1) Myotube diameter: Control < APS (p<0.05)
(2) p-mTOR: Control < APS (p<0.05)
LC3B-II/LC3B-I ratio: Control > APS (p<0.05)

Cho SG 2018 [36] In vivo/ In vitro Korea In vivo
Total n = 48
normal (8)
CON (8)
SC 20 (8)
SC 100 (8)
SSLE 20 (8)
SSLE 100 (8)
In vivo:
Hindlimb suspension rat model (SD rats, 6 wk, M)
In vivo: 21 d
In vivo:
(1) Muscle weight
(2) Muscle strength
(3) CSA
SC: Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill
LC: Lycium chinense Mill
EU: Eucommia ulmoides Oliv
SSLE: 2:1:1-SC:LC:EU herb pair
SLE: 1:1:1-SC:LC:EU

In vivo: (orally)
(i) 20: 20mg/kg
(ii) 100: 100mg/kg
In vivo:
(1) Muscle weight
(a) Gastrocnemius: CON < SC20 < SC100 < SSLE20 < SSLE100 (p<0.001 ver CON)
(b) Soleus: CON < SC20 < SC100 (p<0.05) / CON < SSLE20 < SSLE100 (p<0.001)
(c) Tibialis ant: CON < SSLE100 (p<0.01)
(2) Muscle strength: CON < SC100, SSLE20 (p<0.01), SSLE100 (p<0.001)
(3) CSA: CON < SC100, SSLE20, SSLE100 (p<0.001)
In vitro
TNF
LC
EU
SC
SLE
SSLE
In vitro:
TNF-α treated C2C12 cell
In vitro:
24 h
In vitro:
(1) Myotube diameter
(2) Protein synthesis (ubiquitin-proteasome system)
In vitro: 200 μg/ml In vitro:
(1) Myotube diameter: CON < LC, EU, SC, SLE, SSLE (p<0.001)
(2) atrogin-1↓ with SC, SLE, SSLE (p<0.001 vs CON)
(3) MuRF-1↓ with LC, EU, SLE, SSLE (p<0.001 vs CON)
(4) MyoD↑ with LC, EU, SC, SLE, SSLE (p<0.001 vs CON)
(5) Myogenin↑ with EU, SC, SLE, SSLE (p<0.001 vs CON)
(6) p-Akt ↑, p-mTOR↑ with LC, EU, SC, SLE, SSLE (p<0.01 vs CON)

Zhu M 2017 [37] In vivo/ In vitro China In vivo
Total n = 24
CON (8)
HS (8)
BZ (8)
In vivo:
Hindlimb suspension rat model (Kunming mice, 8 wk, M)
In vivo: 21 d
In vivo:
(1) Muscle weight
(2) CSA
(3) Muscls strength
In vivo:
BZ: Bu Zhong Yi Qi decoction 5.93mg/g/day orally
In vivo:
(1) Muscle weight
(a) Gastrocnemius: HS < BZ (p<0.05)
(b) Soleus: HS < BZ (p<0.05)
(2) CSA: HS < BZ (p<0.05)
(3) Muscle strength: HS < BZ (p<0.01)
In vitro
RS
BZ
In vitro:
C2C12 myoblasts (untreated)
In vitro:
n r
In vitro:
(1) NCoR1 (nuclear receptor corepressor 1)
(2) Myogenesis
In vitro:
RS: rat serum
BZ: Bu Zhong Yi Qi decoction
In vitro:
(1) NCoR1↓ (p<0.001 vs RS)
(2) Pax7↑ (p<0.05), Myogenin↑, MyHC↑ (p<0.01)

Geng Z 2017 [38] In vivo/ In vitro China In vivo
Total n = 32
NOR (8)
CON (8)
APS (8)
KT (8)
In vivo:
5/6 nephrectomized rat model (SD rat, 7-8 wk, M)
In vivo:
6 wk
In vivo:
(1) Atrogin and ubiquitin
APS: Astragalus polysaccharide, 3g/kg/day for 6 weeks, intraperitoneally / in vitro: 15 mg/1
KT: ketosteril (α-ketoacid tablets), 1ml/200g/day for 4 weeks, intravenously
CON: saline, 3g/kg/day for 6weeks, intraperitoneally
NOR: Sham-OP
PDTC: pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate 50 μmol/1
In vivo:
(1) Atrogin-1: APS < KT < CON (p<0.05 vs CON)
Ubiquitin: APS < KT < CON (p<0.05 vs CON)
In vitro
TNF
TNF+APS
TNF+PDTC
In vitro:
TNF-α treated rat L6 myoblasts
In vitro:
48 h
In vitro:
(1) Atrogin and ubiquitin
(2) Muscle cell diameter
In vitro:
(1) Atrogin-1↓, Ubiquitin↓ in APS (p<0.05 vs CON)
(2) Cell diameter↑ in APS (p<0.05 vs CON)
(3) Atrogin-1↓, Ubiquitin↓ in PDTC (p<0.05 vs CON)
(4) Cell diameter↑ in PDTC (p<0.05 vs CON)

Kim AY 2018 [39] In vivo/ In vitro Korea In vivo
Total n = 15
CON (5)
SGE10 (5)
SGE50 (5)
In vivo:
CT-26 colon carcinoma-implanted mice (BALB/c mice, 6 wk, M)
In vivo: 15 d
In vivo:
(1) Body weight
(2) Muscle weight
(3) IL-6
SGE: herbal cocktail composed of Ginseng Radix alba, Atractylodis Rhizoma alba, and Hoelen

In vivo:
SGE 10mg/kg/day or 50mg/kg/day for 15days, orally
In vivo:
(1) Body weight: CON < SGE10 (p<0.01), SGE50 (p<0.05)
(2) Muscle weight: CON < SGE50 (p<0.01)
(3) Serum IL-6: CON > SGE10 > SGE50 (p<0.01)
In vitro
SGE 5
SGE 10
SGE 25
SGE 50
In vitro:
CT-26-mediated C2C12 myoblast
In vitro: 48 h In vitro:
(1) Inflammatory cytokines
(2) NO production and MAPK/NF-κB activation
(3) Muscle cell proliferation protein
In vitro:
SGE 5, 10, 25, 50μg/mL, incubated for 48h
In vitro:
(1) IL-1β↓ (5,10,25,50 p<0.01), IL-6↓ (10,25,50 p<0.01),
TNF-α↓ (25 p<0.05, 50 p<0.01)
(2) NO↓ (10,25,50 p<0.01), iNOS↓ (25,50 p<0.01), p-p38↓,
p-ERK↓, p-JNK↓, p-IκBα↓ (25,50 p<0.01)
(3) MyH↑ (10,25,50 p<0.01)

Tseng YT
2017
[40]
In vivo/ In vitro China In vivo
Total n = 32
WT (wild-type) (8)
CON (8)
LWDH15 (8)
LWDH30 (8)
In vivo:
Survival motor neuron (SMN) deficiency-induced transgenic mice model (n r, n r, M)
In vivo: not limited

In vitro: 48 h
In vivo:
(1) SMN expression in muscle
(2) Muscle strength
(3) Body weight
LWDH: Liuwei dihuang water extract
In vivo: 15mg/kg/day, 30mg/kg/day, orally
In vivo
(1) Survival motor neuron expression: CON < LWDH30 (p<0.001)
(2) Hindlimb score: CON < LWDH30 (p<0.001)
(3) Body weight: WT > LWDH30 (p<0.01) > LWDH15 (p<0.05) > CON
In vitro
CON
LWDH 0.01, 0.1, 1, 10

In vitro:
NSC34 motor neuron-like cell (transfected to SMN deficiency)
In vitro:
(1) Apoptotic-related pathway
In vitro: 0.01, 0.1, 1, 10μg/mL In vitro
(1) Bcl-2↑, cytochrome c↓, cleaved-caspase-3↓