Anabolic therapies for muscle dysfunction in women with COPD
Creators: name: University Of California Office Of The President
Publisher: name: University of California Office of the President
publisherIdentifier: https://ror.org/00dmfq477
publisherIdentifierScheme: ROR
Year: 2024

description: This project aims to improve the effectiveness of medical treatment for women with lung disease produced by cigarette smoking. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, also called emphysema or bronchitis) is a disorder affecting approximately 14 million people in the United States. It is a disabling disorder and inability to exercise is usually the foremost problem. It is becoming clear that these patients suffer not only from poorly functioning lungs but also because the muscles of ambulation perform poorly. We have recently shown that muscle function can be improved in men with COPD both by strength training and by giving supplemental testosterone, a drug known to build muscles. Until now, most research into methods to improve muscle function has involved only men. However, the number of women suffering from COPD is accelerating and is nearly equal to that of men. The body chemicals that stimulate muscle growth operate differently in women than they do in men. We will focus on two specific strategies intended to improve the muscle's ability to tolerate exercise. First, there is a growing realization that testosterone is not only a “male hormone”. Though levels in women are much lower than in men, studies in healthy women suggest that testosterone supplementation increases muscle size. We have found that women with COPD have low levels of this chemical. However, the amount of testosterone that best balances the benefits of testosterone without creating troubling side effects has yet to be determined. We will determine whether administering testosterone to women with COPD will increase muscle mass and exercise tolerance. Second, we have found that women with COPD usually have a low level of activity; we will determine whether a strength conditioning program consisting of a varied group of exercises improves exercise tolerance. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 We will assign by chance 72 women with COPD to one of six groups. Four of the groups will receive no training, but will apply a gel to their skin daily that will contain no testosterone or one of three doses of testosterone. Two of the groups will receive strength training (for one hour a day three times per week) plus either a gel with no testosterone or with the highest of the three doses of testosterone. A number of state-of-the art measurements will be made before and after the 10 week study period including: 1) precise measurement of the muscle and fat mass in the body, 2) muscle strength by weight lifting and by measuring the electrical activity of the muscle, 3) exercise capacity measured on a stationary bicycle, 4) strength of the breathing muscles and 5) the overall quality of life, assessed by well-designed questionnaires. In this study, a number of safeguards will be in place to assure the participants' safety.
 
 
 
 
 
 Programs are already in place to help rehabilitate patients with COPD. This study should be directly applicable to these programs and will help to decrease the suffering of patients with this smoking-related disease.