Dietary nitrate preserves mitochondrial bioenergetics and mitochondrial protein synthesis rates during short-term immobilization in mice.

ABSTRACT: Skeletal muscle disuse reduces muscle protein synthesis rates and induces atrophy, events associated with decreased mitochondrial respiration and increased reactive oxygen species. Given that dietary nitrate can improve mitochondrial bioenergetics, we examined whether nitrate supplementation attenuates disuse-induced impairments in mitochondrial function and muscle protein synthesis rates. Female C57Bl/6N mice were subjected to single-limb casting (3 or 7 days) and consumed drinking water with or without 1 mM sodium nitrate. Compared with the contralateral control limb, 3 days of immobilization lowered myofibrillar fractional synthesis rates (FSR, P < 0.0001), resulting in muscle atrophy. Although FSR and mitophagy-related proteins were higher in subsarcolemmal (SS) compared with intermyof

SUBMITTER: Petrick HL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12306412 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature