Efficacy of drug regimen exceeds electrostimulation in treatment of avian muscular dystrophy.

Autosomal-recessive dystrophic chickens were treated in three experimental groups with an intraperitoneal multicomponent drug mixture (50 mg/kg Ep475, 20 mg/kg Cinanserin, 10 mg/kg stanazolol, 100 mg/kg leucine, 0.1 mg/kg insulin, 100 mg/kg glucose, and 50 mg/kg carnitine), percutaneous high-frequency electrostimulation of the pectoralis muscle, or a combination of both drug and electrostimulation treatments. Therapeutic efficacy was determined in each group by measurements of strength, righting ability, and histomorphometric analyses of the pectoralis musculature. Drug treatment alone was found to significantly improve muscular strength, function, and relative myofiber necrosis compared with sham-injected controls. The efficacy of drug treatment was found to be equal to or better than singular electrostimulation treatment; there was no apparent additive effect of electrostimulation. As a result, these findings support the use of drug treatment as a useful nongenetic approach to the management of human muscular dystrophy where there is the potential risk of injury from exercise usage.