Work

Texture analysis of T1- and T2-weighted images identifies myofiber atrophy and grip strength decline in streptozotocin-induced type 1 diabetic sarcopenia rats

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Type 1 diabetes mellitus is associated with accelerated skeletal muscle aging and sarcopenia, a condition characterized by muscle mass and function loss. Early and noninvasive evaluation of muscle microstructural damage is critical for managing sarcopenia in diabetes. This study evaluated the potential of MRI texture analysis as a noninvasive imaging tool to assess myofiber size and grip strength alterations in a rat model of diabetic sarcopenia. Twenty SD rats were randomly and evenly allocated to the control (CON) and diabetic sarcopenia (DS) groups. Blood glucose, body weight, and forelimb grip strength were measured weekly. In the eighth week, axial T 1 WI and T 2 WI scans were performed to extract 16 texture features of the gastrocnemius muscle. The size of the fibers, including the cross-sectional area, perimeter, and minFeretDiam, was calculated from the HE-stained images. Differences between the two groups were analyzed via t tests or Mann‒Whitney U tests. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was conducted to evaluate the diagnostic performance of MRI texture features. Associations between MRI texture features, grip strength, and myofiber size were assessed via Spearman correlation analysis. The DS group presented significant reductions in body weight, grip strength, and myofiber size ( p < 0.001). Seven texture features demonstrated high repeatability. Among them, T 1 WI_Entropy and T 2 WI_Entropy were significantly lower, whereas T 1 WI_Mean, T 2 WI_Mean, and T 2 WI_Variance were greater in the DS group than in the control group ( p < 0.05 to p < 0.001). ROC analysis revealed that the MRI texture features performed well in differentiating the DS and CON groups (AUC 0.830 ~ 1.000). Strong correlations were found between MRI texture parameters and muscle strength and myofiber size. Muscle texture analysis based on T 1 WI and T 2 WI effectively differentiated type 1 diabetic sarcopenic rats from normal controls and revealed strong associations with muscle strength and myofiber size. These findings indicate that MRI texture parameters serve as potential biomarkers for diagnosing muscle damage in type 1 diabetic sarcopenia patients, suggesting that MRI texture parameters are promising noninvasive tools for early detection and monitoring of myofiber atrophy in diabetic sarcopenia.

Source: Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research

DOI: 10.1186/s13018-025-05556-y

Authors: Dong Xing, Fang Liu, Yufan Gao, Ziyan Fei, Yunfei Zha

Institution: Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University

Language: English

Topic: Radiomics and Machine Learning in Medical Imaging

Subfield: Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,090