Indomethacin and ibuprofen preserve gastrocnemius muscle mass in mice bearing the colon‐26 adenocarcinoma

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Abstract
Skeletal muscle wasting is a prominent feature of cancer cachexia and involves decreased muscle protein synthesis and increased activity of the ubiquitin‐proteasome pathway of protein degradation. We report that both indomethacin and ibuprofen improved body weight and weight of the gastrocnemius muscle in tumor‐bearing mice. Ibuprofen increased the soluble protein content of the muscle without affecting muscle levels of phosphorylated p70 S6 kinase, a ribosomal kinase involved in protein synthesis. Paradoxically, indomethacin increased levels of ubiquitin‐conjugated proteins. Further study is needed to understand the mechanism of action by which indomethacin and ibuprofen preserve body weight and muscle mass in the tumor‐bearing mice. The data suggest that ibuprofen may have beneficial effects in the treatment of cancer cachexia. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Res Nurs Health 27:174–184, 2004