Aim: We sought to determine the sensitivity of electrical impedance myography (EIM) to myofiber hypertrophy induced by treatment with various doses of ActRIIB-mFc, an inhibitor of myostatin signaling.
Methods: Wild-type C57BL/6 J mice (n = 40, male) were treated with three different doses of ActRIIB-mFc (i.e., RAP-031) or vehicle twice weekly for 5 weeks. End point assessments included gastrocnemius EIM, force measurements, muscle mass and myofiber size quantification.
Results: ActRIIB-mFc increased body mass, muscle mass and myofiber size across all doses. Alterations in EIM 50 kHz phase and center frequency (fc) were also present, with trends in a dose-dependent fashion. Significant correlations between EIM parameters and myofiber/functional data were identified.
Conclusion: EIM outcomes can serve as effective biomarkers of myostatin signaling inhibition, demonstrating a dose sensitivity and correlation to standard assessments.
Keywords: ActRIIB-mFc; electrical impedance; mouse; myofiber hypertrophy; myography; myostatin inhibition; phase; reactance; resistance.