Moringa isothiocyanate-1 (MIC-1, also known as moringin) is an isothiocyanate that composes up to 40% of moringa seed extract (MSE). Previously it was shown that MIC-1 inhibited lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation in skeletal muscle, however little it is known about the MSE and MIC-1’s effects on muscle atrophy-related pathways. To investigate the beneficial effects of MSE and MIC-1, muscle atrophy was induced by dexamethasone or lipopolysaccharide as models. MIC-1 (1 µM) and MSE (at equivalent dose of 1 µM MIC-1) did not reduce viability of muscle cells at different stages. Dexamethasone and lipopolysaccharide reduced myotubes size by upregulating the muscle atrophy-related molecular targets, the E3 ubiquitin ligases Trim63 (a.k.a. Murf1) and Fbxo32 (a.k.a. Atrogin1). However, MIC-1 and MSE partially prevented the muscle atrophy. The reduction of muscle atrophy markers by MSE and MIC-1 were strongly associated with the downregulation of Trim63, rather than Fbxo32. Furthermore, Trim63 was identified as a molecular target for MSE and MIC-1’s improvements on skeletal muscle health in C2C12 cells. These results suggest that Moringa oleifera extracts and their related isothiocyanates may improve skeletal muscle health at different conditions.

Effects of moringa isothiocyanate-rich seed extract on muscle atrophy in C2C12 cells

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