Simultaneous downregulation of Activin A in the kidney and heart attenuates skeletal muscle atrophy and intramuscular adipogenesis, improves muscle mass and function and mitigates adipose tissue mass loss in cancer cachexia mice. These findings identify heart- and kidney-derived Activin A as a key driver of cachexia, which acts through a combinatorial effect rather than an isolated contribution from either one alone, highlighting its potential as a therapeutic target.
Wang et al. (Wed,) studied this question.