Variations of glucocorticoid receptors in intact or denervated muscles: lack of cause-effect relationship with muscle atrophy in the rat.

The process of muscular atrophy following denervation has been tentatively ascribed to the influence of glucocorticoids (G) because of the rapid increase of cytosolic G receptors (RG) after sciatic nerve section. It appears however that the level of muscular atrophy is similar: in slow or fast-twitch muscles in spite of huge variations in RG; in intact or adrenalectomized (ADR-X) rats. Moreover, the protein muscle profile of intact of ADR-X rats after gel electrophoresis is similar but drastically decreased after 3 weeks of denervation. We conclude that there is no cause-effect relationship between muscle atrophy and RG elevation after nerve section.