Role of the Occult Insulin Receptors in the Regulation of Atrophy and Hypertrophy of Skeletal Muscles

摘要

Insulin levels in the plasma are variable, as are insulin receptor numbers on the surface of skeletal muscles. Increased blood supply to the muscle during exercise delivers more insulin to the muscles even though insulin levels are suppressed by epinephrine. Increasing muscle temperatures result in an increased insulin effect, if enough receptors are available for binding. In exhaustive exercise, insulin levels are minimal but the movement of glucose across the cell membrane increases. Since insulin-receptor affinity decreases at high temperature, the only way this increased movement of glucose can be accomplished is by increased insulin binding. Thus more receptors must be available to capture the insulin. Epinephrine levels drop drastically after exercise. Insulin levels increase and the cell can import glucose, amino acids, and nucleotides. As the cell temperature decreases after exercise, insulin binding increases but the total effect decreases because the many surface receptors disappear again over a period of time. If the muscle is immobilized, the number of surface receptors decreases. There is less insulin effect and as a result the muscle atrophies. Acetylcholine (ACh) causes the proper arrangement of the myofibrils in the foetus, and has some effect on the rate of atrophy in an immobilized muscle. It also appears to maintain the cell membrane organization. Disuse atrophy is caused by a decrease in cell size, while exercise hypertrophy is caused by an increase in cell size. Growth hormone (STH) is therefore ruled out as the exercise hypertrophy controlling factor, since STH causes cell division and not hypertrophy. Testosterone can also be ruled out as the controlling factor in the development of hypertrophy and atrophy of muscles. Estrogen can likewise be ruled out. (ERA citation 06:008210)