Skeletal muscle atrophy induces memory dysfunction via hemopexin action in healthy young mice

Age-related morbidity has become an increasingly significant issue worldwide. Sarcopenia, the decline in skeletal muscle mass and strength with age, has been reported to be a risk factor for cognitive impairment. Our previous study revealed that skeletal muscle atrophy shifts the onset of memory dysfunction earlier in young Alzheimer's disease mice and found that hemopexin is a myokine responsible for memory loss. This study aimed to elucidate the occurrence of memory impairment due to skeletal muscle atrophy in non-genetically engineered healthy young mice and the involvement of hemopexin. Closed-colony ddY mice at 12–13 weeks of age were used. Both hind limbs were immobilized by cast attachment for 14 d. Casting for 2 weeks induced a loss of skeletal muscle weight. The memory function of the mice was evaluated using a novel object recognition test. The cast-attached mice exhibited memory impairment. Hemopexin levels in the conditioned medium of the skeletal muscle, plasma, and hippocampus were increased in cast-attached mice. Continuous intracerebroventricular hemopexin infusion induced memory deficits in non-cast mice. To investigate whether hemopexin is the main causative factor of cognitive impairment, cast-attached mice were intracerebroventricularly infused with an anti-hemopexin antibody. Cast-induced memory impairment was reversed by the infusion of an anti-hemopexin antibody. These findings provide new evidence that skeletal muscle atrophy causes memory impairment in healthy young mice through the action of hemopexin in the brain.