Exercise Attenuate Diaphragm Atrophy in COPD Mice via Inhibiting the RhoA/ROCK Signaling

Peijun Li,1,* Yingqi Wang,1,* Yuanyuan Cao,2 Jiacheng Shi,1 Meiling Jiang,2 Xiaoyu Han,2 Linhong Jiang,1 Yidie Bao,1 Weibing Wu,2 Xiaodan Liu1,3,4 1School of Rehabilitation Science, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Sports Rehabilitation, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, 200438, People’s Republic of China; 3Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, Shanghai Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, People’s Republic of China; 4Engineering Research Center of Traditional Chinese Medicine Intelligent Rehabilitation, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, 201203, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Xiaodan Liu; Weibing Wu, Email hzhp403@126.com; wwb75@126.comBackground: Exercise is an indispensable component of pulmonary rehabilitation with strong anti-inflammatory effects. However, the mechanisms by which exercise prevents diaphragmatic atrophy in COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) remain unclear.Methods: Forty male C57BL/6 mice were assigned to the control (n=16) and smoke (n=24) groups. Mice in the smoke group were exposed to the cigarette smoke (CS) for six months. They were then divided into model and exercise training groups for 2 months. Histological changes were observed in lung and diaphragms. Subsequently, agonist U46639 and antagonist Y27632 of RhoA/ROCK were subjected to mechanical stretching in LPS-treated C2C12 myoblasts. The expression levels of Atrogin-1, MuRF-1, MyoD, Myf5, IL-1β, TNF-α, and RhoA/ROCK were determined by Western blotting.Results: Diaphragmatic atrophy and increased RhoA/ROCK expression were observed in COPD mice. Exercise training attenuated diaphragmatic atrophy, decreased the expression of MuRF-1, and increased MyoD expression in COPD diaphragms. Exercise also affects the upregulation of RhoA/ROCK and inflammation-related proteins. In in vitro expe