Sustained elevation of circulating growth and differentiation factor-15 and a dynamic imbalance in mediators of muscle homeostasis are associated with the development of acute muscle wasting following cardiac surgery.

OBJECTIVES

Acute muscle wasting in the critically ill is common and causes significant morbidity. In a novel human model of acute muscle wasting following cardiac surgery, known or potential circulating modulators of muscle mass--insulin-like growth factor-1, myostatin, and growth and differentiation factor-15--were measured over a week. It was hypothesized that patients who developed acute muscle wasting would show distinct patterns of change in these mediators.

DESIGN

A prospective longitudinal observational study of high-risk elective cardiac surgical patients identifying, by ultrasound, those developing muscle wasting.

SETTING

Tertiary cardiothoracic referral center: Royal Brompton Hospital, London, UK.

PATIENTS

Forty-two patients undergoing elective high-risk cardiothoracic surgery.

INTERVENTIONS

Circulating insulin-like growth factor-1, myostatin, and growth and differentiation factor-15 were assayed preoperatively and over the first week postoperatively. The ability of growth and differentiation factor-15 to cause muscle wasting in vitro was determined in C2C12 myotubes.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Of the 42 patients, 23 (55%) developed quadriceps atrophy. There was an acute decrease in insulin-like growth factor-1 and unexpectedly myostatin, known mediators of muscle hypertrophy and atrophy, respectively. By contrast, plasma growth and differentiation factor-15 concentrations increased in all patients. This increase in growth and differentiation factor-15 was sustained at day 7 in those who developed muscle wasting (day 7 compared with baseline, p<0.01), but recovered in the nonwasting group (p>0.05). Insulin-like growth factor-1 did not recover in those who developed muscle wasting (day 7 compared with baseline, p<0.01) but did in the nonwasting group (p>0.05). Finally, we demonstrated that growth and differentiation factor-15 caused atrophy of myotubes in vitro.

CONCLUSION

These data support the hypothesis that acute muscle loss occurs as a result of an imbalance between drivers of muscle atrophy and hypertrophy. Growth and differentiation factor-15 is a potential novel factor associated with muscle atrophy, which may become a therapeutic target in patients with ICU acquired paresis and other forms of acute muscle wasting.