Association of serum myokine levels with rapid degeneration in skeletal muscle quality following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
Murao. Masanobu M; Hamada. Ryota R; Kanda. Junya J; Kondo. Tadakazu T; Miyasaka. Junsuke J; Asano. Tsugumi T; Matsushita. Michiko M; Otagaki. Ayumi A; Arai. Yasuyuki Y; Fukuda. Hiroko H; Yamashita. Kouhei K; Takaori-Kondo. Akifumi A; Ikeguchi. Ryosuke R
Key Findings
- Serum IGF‑1 levels fell after allogeneic stem cell transplantation and were strongly associated with declines in skeletal muscle mass index, extracellular water ratio, and phase angle (a measure of cell health).
- Myostatin, another muscle‑related protein, only correlated with muscle mass, not with water balance or cell health.
- No interaction between time and myokine levels was found, indicating the IGF‑1 relationship was consistent over the 8‑week follow‑up.
Practical Outcomes
- For biohackers, the takeaway is that IGF‑1 could serve as an early biomarker of muscle quality loss, so regular IGF‑1 testing might help you spot problems before they become obvious. However, the study was done in a very sick, transplant population, so any interventions (like IGF‑1 supplementation, resistance training, or nutrition tweaks) would need further testing before being recommended for healthy individuals.
Summary
In patients who received a bone‑marrow transplant, blood levels of IGF‑1 (a hormone that helps build muscle) dropped and this drop was linked to a quick loss of muscle quality and changes in body water balance. The study suggests that tracking IGF‑1 could warn you when muscle health is deteriorating, but it doesn’t test any specific supplement or training plan.
Abstract
Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) causes rapid deterioration of physical function; therefore, understanding the changes in skeletal muscle quantity and quality and identifying associated biomarkers is crucial. Myokines, such as insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) derived from skeletal muscle contraction, are well-established biomarkers of skeletal muscle mass. Therefore, we aimed to clarify the role of circulating myokine dynamics in skeletal muscle degeneration after allo-HSCT. Fifty-three patients who underwent allo-HSCT participated in this single-center prospective cohort study. Serum myokine concentrations were measured, and body composition (skeletal muscle mass index [SMI], extracellular water-to-total body water ratio [ECW/TBW], and phase angle [PhA]) were assessed using bioimpedance analysis (BIA) before and 4- and 8-weeks posttransplantation. Mixed-effect models for repeated measures and Tukey's method were used to analyze the changes in body composition and serum myokine concentrations and their interrelationships. Univariate analysis revealed that all body composition parameters and myokine levels were altered after allo-HSCT. When adjusted for covariates, IGF-1 was significantly associated with the SMI (P = 0.003), ECW/TBW (P < 0.001), and PhA (P = 0.001) over time, whereas myostatin was only associated with the SMI (P = 0.001). No interaction between time and myokine levels was observed. Changes in serum IGF-1 level following allo-HSCT may be associated with adverse alterations in skeletal muscle quality. This biomarker may be useful for guiding interventions aimed at preserving muscle quality and function in these patients. University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN 000046545).
Study Information
pubmed
2025
2025-11-04T00:00:00.000Z
10.1016/j.nut.2025.113015
41