Inhibition of Mitochondrial Fission Protein Drp1 Ameliorates Myopathy in the D2-mdx Model of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Although current treatments for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) have proven to be effective in delaying myopathy, there remains a strong need to identify novel targets to develop additional therapies. Mitochondrial dysfunction is an early pathological feature of DMD. A fine balance of mitochondrial dynamics (fission and fusion) is crucial to maintain mitochondrial function and skeletal muscle health. Excessive activation of Dynamin-Related Protein 1 (Drp1)-mediated mitochondrial fission was reported in animal models of DMD. However, whether Drp1-mediated mitochondrial fission is a viable target for treating myopathy in DMD remains unknown. Here, we treated a D2-mdx model of DMD (9-10 weeks old) with Mdivi-1, a selective Drp1 inhibitor, every other day (i.p. injection) for 5 weeks. We demonstrated that Mdivi-1 effectively improved skeletal muscle strength and reduced serum creatine kinase concentration. Mdivi-1 treatment also effectively inhibited mitochondrial fission regulatory protein markers, Drp1(Ser616) phosphorylation and Fis1 in skeletal muscles from D2-mdx mice, which resulted in reduced content of damaged and fragmented mitochondria. Furthermore, Mdivi-1 treatment attenuated lipid peroxidation product, 4-HNE, in skeletal muscle from D2-mdx mice, which was inversely correlated with muscle grip strength. Finally, we revealed that Mdivi-1 treatment downregulated Alpha 1 Type I Collagen (Col1a1) protein expression, a marker of fibrosis, and Interleukin-6 (IL-6) mRNA expression, a marker of inflammation. In summary, these results demonstrate that inhibition of Drp1-mediated mitochondrial fission by Mdivi-1 is effective in improving muscle strength and alleviating muscle damage in D2-mdx mice. These improvements are associated with improved skeletal muscle mitochondrial integrity, leading to attenuated lipid peroxidation.