Skeletal muscle fatigue and post-exertional malaise are key symptoms of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis ( ME/CFS). We have previously shown that AMPK activation and glucose uptake are impaired in primary human skeletal muscle cell cultures derived from patients with ME/CFS in response to electrical pulse stimulation, a method which induces contraction of muscle cells in vitro. The aim of this study was to assess if AMPK could be activated pharmacologically in ME/CFS. Methods Primary skeletal muscle cell cultures from patients with ME/CFS and healthy controls were treated with either metformin or 991. AMPK activation was assessed by Western blot and glucose uptake measured. Results Both metformin and 991 treatment significantly increased AMPK activation and glucose uptake in muscle cell cultures from both controls and ME/CFS. Cellular ATP content was unaffected by treatment although ATP content was significantly decreased in ME/CFS compared to controls. Conclusions Pharmacological activation of AMPK can improve glucose uptake in muscle cell cultures from patients with ME/CFS. This suggests that the failure of electrical pulse stimulation to activate AMPK in these muscle cultures is due to a defect proximal to AMPK. Further work is required to delineate the defect and determine whether pharmacological activation of AMPK improves muscle function in patients with ME/CFS
Energy Production: Skeletal muscle fatigue... - Ramsays Disease
Energy Production
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Full paper as pdf bioscirep.org/content/ppbio...
I know that ME causes the heart to race sometimes. If it`s bad then Betablockers work well to control this. For energy with ME , read Dr Sarah Myhill`s book-----It`s Mitochondria not Hypochondria . One excellent supplement is D _Ribose . The problem in ME is getting enough energy to the heart, this is interrupted with ME. Ribose is a special sugar that does not affect Diabetes and goes straight into Mitochondria (Energy for the heart ) > The results are quite amazing. This D-Ribose is available at Amazon.co.uk A little expensive but the results are more than worth it. Pleas note it turns your pee brown.(no problem )