# Study on the Mechanism of Low-Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound in Ameliorating Glucose Metabolism Through Attenuation of Skeletal Muscle Atrophy in Mice with Type 1 Diabetes

## TL;DR

This study shows that low-intensity pulsed ultrasound improves muscle atrophy and lowers blood glucose in mice with type 1 diabetes.

## Contribution

The study reveals a novel therapeutic potential of LIPUS for treating diabetic skeletal muscle atrophy.

## Key findings

- LIPUS increased skeletal muscle cross-sectional area, mass, and strength in T1DM mice.
- LIPUS significantly reduced blood glucose levels in T1DM mice.
- LIPUS reduces blood glucose by improving muscle atrophy, as verified using MSTN knockout and knockin mice.

## Abstract

Diabetic skeletal muscle atrophy is a serious complication of diabetes that significantly impairs patients’ quality of life. This study aims to investigate whether low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) can improve skeletal muscle atrophy in mice with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Our results showed that LIPUS significantly improved muscle regeneration and repair by increasing skeletal muscle cross-sectional area, mass, and strength. In addition, LIPUS effectively lowered blood glucose levels in T1DM mice. Further experiments indicated that LIPUS reduces blood glucose levels in T1DM mice by improving their muscle atrophy. This study provides new insights into the potential therapeutic application of LIPUS in diabetic skeletal muscle atrophy.

Diabetic skeletal muscle atrophy is one of the most serious complications among diabetes-related complications. LIPUS enhances muscle regeneration and repair in skeletal muscle injuries. However, whether LIPUS can improve skeletal muscle atrophy in mice with T1DM has not been studied. This study involves forty male C57BL/6 mice randomly divided into four groups: normal control group (NC), streptozocin (STZ)-induced T1DM mice (T1D), T1DM mice treated with LIPUS (DL), and T1DM mice treated with insulin (DI). The DL group was treated on the quadriceps of mice with LIPUS (1 MHz, 80 mW/cm2, 20 min/day) for 6 weeks. The results demonstrated that LIPUS significantly improved muscle function by increasing the cross-sectional area, mass, and strength of skeletal muscles. In addition, LIPUS significantly effectively lowered the blood glucose levels of T1DM mice. The knockout of myostatin (MSTN) (MSTN−/−) and knockin of MSTN (MSTN+/+) mice were employed to verify the underlying mechanism. The results indicated that LIPUS reduces blood glucose levels in T1DM mice by improving their muscle atrophy. This study demonstrated that LIPUS will become a novel therapy for the treatment of skeletal muscle atrophy caused by T1DM.