Skip to main content
. 2019 Dec 19;4(24):e132402. doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.132402

Figure 5. Pulsatile glucocorticoids enhanced nutrient utilization for mitochondrial respiration in dystrophic muscle.

Figure 5

(A) PCA of 171 metabolites showed treatment-specific clustering of muscle tissues. (B) Heatmaps of metabolite levels showed that pulsatile prednisone activated consumption of glucose, BCAA, and glutamine, increasing ATP and phosphocreatine levels. (C) Muscle respirometry showed that weekly prednisone led to higher basal oxygen consumption in the presence of either glucose, palmitate, or valine. (D) Weekly prednisone increased BCKDHA levels and reduced its phosphorylation in muscle. (E) Weekly prednisone increased glucose uptake in muscle, as shown by 2-NBDG uptake in live dystrophic myofibers. (F) Weekly prednisone increased whole-body insulin sensitivity, while daily regimen induced insulin resistance. Curves depict mean ± SEM; histograms depict single values and mean ± SEM; box plots, Tukey distribution; n = 3 mice/group (A and B), n = 6 mice/group (C–F). *P < 0.05 vs. vehicle, 2-way ANOVA with Tukey’s multiple comparison (C), 1-way ANOVA with Tukey’s multiple comparison (D and E). #P < 0.05 vs. vehicle, 2-way ANOVA.