Title:Herbal Medicine and Skeletal Muscle Atrophy: From Basic Science to
Translational Medicine
Volume: 10
Author(s): Sima Seifi, Afshin Karimi, Abdoljalal Marjani, Mina Maftooh, Elnaz Ghorbani, Hamid Fiuji, Majid Ghayour-Mobarhan, Gordon A. Ferns, Majid Khazaei, Seyed Mahdi Hassanian Mehr and Amir Avan*
Affiliation:
- Metabolic Syndrome Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical
Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
- Al-Zahraa University for Women, Karbala, Iraq
- Faculty of Health, School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, cv, Australia
Keywords:
Herbal medicine, skeletal muscle atrophy, curcumin, geranylgeraniol, resveratrol, soy protein, green tea, coffee.
Abstract: Muscle atrophy is the volume loss and strength of muscle and happens in various
conditions, such as starvation, nerve cutting, cancer cachexia, heart failure, old age, and immobility.
Muscle atrophy is increasing every year and is usually associated with a low quality of
life. In the time of muscle atrophy, systems of proteolytic are turned on and muscle proteins are
degraded, leading to the contraction of muscle fibers. However, the precise mechanisms involved
in muscle atrophy, as well as effective treatments, remain to be investigated. The purpose
of this article is to give an overview of the effectiveness of supplements, herbs, and herb bioactive
compounds on muscle atrophy. The significant beneficial effects of some plants and plantderived
natural products, including curcumin, geranylgeraniol, resveratrol, soy protein, green tea,
and coffee, on muscle atrophy are reviewed in this review article. According to clinical investigations,
these natural products may positively affect the physical function of muscles, including hand
grip strength and knee tension, weight-lifting capacity, muscle fatigue, time and distance traveled
before feeling tired, mitochondrial function and average muscle fiber level. However, more clinical
trials are necessary to explore the possible value of herbal agents on skeletal muscle atrophy.
