Pioglitazone improves skeletal muscle functions in reserpine-induced fibromyalgia rat model

• Published in: Annals of medicine (Helsinki) Vol. 53; no. 1; pp. 1033 - 1041
• Main Authors: Hassan, Fatma E., Sakr, Hader I., Mohie, Passant M., Suliman, Howayda Saeed, Mohamed, Ayman Saber, Attia, Mohamed H., Eid, Dalia M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Taylor & Francis 01.01.2021; Taylor & Francis Group
• Subjects: Animals; catalase; Fatigue; Fibromyalgia; Fibromyalgia - chemically induced; Fibromyalgia - drug therapy; Humans; IL-8; Male; malondialdehyde; Muscle, Skeletal - drug effects; Pioglitazone - therapeutic use; PPAR gamma; PPAR- γ; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Reserpine - pharmacology; Sports Medicine & Musculoskeletal Disorders; superoxide dismutase; Thiazolidinediones - pharmacology; Fibromyalgia; malondialdehyde; IL-8; superoxide dismutase; catalase; PPAR- γ
• ISSN: 0785-3890; 1365-2060
• DOI: 10.1080/07853890.2021.1916069

Fibromyalgia (FM) is characterized by musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, sleep and memory disturbance. There is no definitive cure yet for FM-related health problems. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor's (PPAR's) activation is associated with insulin sensitisation and improved glucose metabolism. PPAR-γ was reported to alleviate FM allodynia. Limited data are discussing its effect on motor disorders. To investigate the potential effect of PPAR-γ agonists (pioglitazone, as one member of thiazolidinediones (TZD)) on motor dysfunction in reserpine-induced FM in a rat model. Thirty-six male Wistar rats were divided into negative control (n = 9) and reserpine-induced FM (n = 27) groups. The latter was subdivided into three equal subgroups (n = 9), positive control (untreated FM model), pioglitazone-treated and GW9662-treated. We evaluated muscle functions and activity of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase, superoxide dismutase, malondialdehyde, and serum levels of interleukin-8 and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1. Pioglitazone significantly relieved fatigue, improved muscle performance, reduced inflammatory cytokines and enhanced antioxidant's activity, while GW9662, a known PPAR-γ antagonist, aggravated the FM manifestations in the rat model. PPAR-γ agonists show a promising role against FM-associated motor dysfunctions.