Thesis (Ph.D.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Medicine - Department of Histology

Background and Aim of the work: Skeletal muscle atrophy is a common complication that occurs in response to disuse (eg immobilization or lack of mechanical load), aging (sarcopenia), neurodegenerative diseases and severe catabolic states.Therefore, this study was planned to compare the ameliorating therapeutic effect of oxandrolone versus whey protein on old aged rat model of induced atrophy by denervation and disuse.Materials and Methods: Forty eight aged male albino rats were used in this study, 12 rats served as control (group I). Group II (Induced atrophy group) included 12 rats and was equally subdivided into subgroup IIa in which muscle atrophy was induced by denervation and subgroup IIb in which muscle atrophy was induced by hind limb suspension. Group III (denervation treated group) included 12 rats and was equally subdivided into subgroup IIIa which received oxandrolone and subgroup IIIb which received whey protein 2 weeks after the denervation operation. Group IV (HLS treated group) included 12 rats and was equally subdivided into subgroup IVa which received oxandrolone and subgroup IVb which received whey protein 2 weeks after HLS. Rats were sacrificed 6 weeks from the beginning of the experiment and muscle to body weight ratio and total protein content were measured. Muscle specimens were processed and stained with H&E, PAS, Masson{u2019}s Trichrome and immunohistochemical staining for Myogenin and Desmin. Morphometric measurements of number and cross sectional area (CSA) of type I and type II fibers, area % of collagen, number of myogenin positive cells (differentiated satellite cells) as well as area % of immunopositive desmin reaction were taken and statistically analyzed

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