Hormonal
Blocking myostatin/activin signaling (via ActRIIB blockade) promotes muscle hypertrophy and can reverse cancer cachexia by inhibiting SMAD2/3 signaling and stimulating SMAD1/5/8 pathways.
For those struggling with severe muscle loss, such as in cancer cachexia, therapies that block myostatin/activin signaling show promise in preserving and even increasing muscle mass. This approach targets the root cause of excessive muscle breakdown rather than just stimulating synthesis.
Moreover, blocking TGFβ signaling through the administration of a soluble receptor (ActRIIB) was able to rescue muscle mass under several atrophic models, reverse cancer cachexia, and, remarkably, delay mortality independently of tumor progression [62].
Why this rating
The paper cites multiple studies showing consistent effects in various atrophic models, including cancer cachexia, though human clinical data is still evolving.
Source
Signaling Pathways That Control Muscle Mass
Anna Vainshtein et al. · International Journal of Molecular Sciences · 2020
DOI 10.3390/ijms21134759
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