Crosstalk between glucocorticoid receptor and obestatin/GPR39 system in skeletal muscle: an avenue for the treatment of muscular atrophy

Many pathological states characterized by muscle atrophy are associated with an increase in circulating glucocorticoids and poor patient prognosis. The development of treatments for glucocorticoid-induced wasting in skeletal muscle should be designed based on how the balance of muscle protein synthesis and degradation is deregulated. Here, we investigated whether the obestatin/GPR39 system, an autocrine/paracrine signaling system acting on myogenesis and with anabolic effects on the skeletal muscle, could protect against glucocorticoid- induced muscle cell atrophy