ActIIR inhibition improves motor outcome and preserves muscle fibers after experimental autoimmune neuritis.
Overview
- Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Cologne and University Hospital Cologne,Kerpener Strasse 62, 50937 Cologne, Germany
- Center for Biochemistry, Institute for Dental Research and Oral Musculoskeletal Research, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne,Cologne, Germany
- Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, CECAD Cluster of Excellence, University of Cologne,Cologne, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Hospital Leverkusen, Leverkusen, Germany
Abstract
Secondary muscle atrophy resulting from neuronal denervation is a key determinant of poor functional recovery in immune-mediated neuropathies, even after inflammation is resolved. While current immunotherapies effectively limit immune-mediated nerve injury, secondary muscle atrophy as a downstream consequence of denervation is not addressed by existing treatment strategies. Activin type II receptors (ActIIR) are central regulators of skeletal muscle atrophy, and pharmacological inhibition of ActIIR signaling has shown variable efficacy in primary myopathies. Here, we investigated the therapeutic potential of ActIIR inhibition in promoting motor recovery in immune-mediated neuropathies using experimental autoimmune neuritis, a rodent model of Guillain-Barré syndrome. At the onset of the recovery phase, animals received varying doses of a synthesized anti-ActIIR antibody. Motor performance was assessed using a standardized clinical neuritis score, grip strength testing, electrophysiological nerve conduction studies, and balance-beam performance combined with quantitative kinematic gait analysis. High-dose ActIIR antibody treatment significantly improved motor performance during the recovery phase. This improvement was not associated with detectable changes in peripheral nerve immune infiltration, inflammatory cytokine expression, or myelination, but correlated with preservation of muscle fiber size. Consistent with this, muscle proteomic and targeted transcriptional analyses revealed attenuation of FoxO-dependent atrophy programs and reduced expression of the E3 ubiquitin ligases Atrogin-1 and MuRF1. Together, these findings suggest that ActIIR inhibition limits secondary muscle atrophy and enhances motor recovery in autoimmune neuritis. Targeting ActIIR signaling may therefore represent a promising muscle-directed adjunct strategy to improve motor outcomes in immune-mediated neuropathies.
Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/
Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.
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Data
Datasets cited
- figshare:31976933, at figshare; found in DataCite
- figshare:31976936, at figshare; found in DataCite
- figshare:31976939, at figshare; found in DataCite
- figshare:31976942, at figshare; found in DataCite
Data availability
The datasets supporting the conclusions of this article are included within the article and its additional files. Additional data are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. The mass spectrometry proteomics data are available under accession number PXD070456 in the ProteomeXchange Consortium.
Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.
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Version 1, 30 September 2026: the first record
Recorded: type, language, journal, volume, issue, pages, dates, 7 authors, 8 keywords, 17 MeSH terms, 1 funder, 100 references, 15 RRIDs.
Cite
This paper
Gerlach, I., Koch, M., Gatto, G., Lackmann, J.-W., Lehmann, H. C., Schroeter, M., & Kohle, F. (2026). ActIIR inhibition improves motor outcome and preserves muscle fibers after experimental autoimmune neuritis. Acta neuropathologica communications, 14(1), 86. https://
BibTeX
@article{gerlach2026acti
author = {Gerlach, Ivo and Koch, Manuel and Gatto, Graziana and Lackmann, Jan-Wilm and Lehmann, Helmar C. and Schroeter, Michael and Kohle, Felix},
title = {{ActIIR inhibition improves motor outcome and preserves muscle fibers after experimental autoimmune neuritis}},
journal = {Acta neuropathologica communications},
year = {2026},
month = mar,
volume = {14},
number = {1},
pages = {86},
publisher = {BMC},
issn = {2051-5960},
doi = {10.1186/
url = {https://
pmid = {41896993},
pmcid = {PMC13063503}
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
AU - Gerlach, Ivo
AU - Koch, Manuel
AU - Gatto, Graziana
AU - Lackmann, Jan-Wilm
AU - Lehmann, Helmar C.
AU - Schroeter, Michael
AU - Kohle, Felix
TI - ActIIR inhibition improves motor outcome and preserves muscle fibers after experimental autoimmune neuritis
T2 - Acta neuropathologica communications
J2 - Acta Neuropathol Commun
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/
VL - 14
IS - 1
SP - 86
SN - 2051-5960
PB - BMC
DO - 10.1186/
UR - https://
LA - en
ER -
CSL-JSON
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