Muscle atrophy inhibitor

Abstract

An extract of Citrus depressa , preferably an organic solvent extract of a fruit and/or leaf of Citrus depressa , a supercritical extract of a fruit and/or leaf of Citrus depressa , or a subcritical extract of a fruit and/or leaf of Citrus depressa , containing 0.3 mass % or more of a polymethoxyflavonoid in terms of solid matter, for example, 0.2 mass % or more of nobiletin and/or 0.1 mass % or more of tangeretin in terms of solid matter, or a polymethoxyflavonoid, such as nobiletin and tangeretin, is used as an active ingredient of a muscle atrophy inhibitor.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for inhibiting muscle atrophy, which comprises administering a polymethoxyflavonoid to a mammal in a therapeutically effective amount. 
     
     
         2 . The method for inhibiting muscle atrophy according to  claim 1 , wherein the amount of polymethoxyflavonoid is 0.03 mg/kg/day or more and 150 mg/kg/day or less. 
     
     
         3 . The method for inhibiting muscle atrophy according to  claim 1 , wherein the polymethoxyflavonoid comprises nobiletin and/or tangeretin. 
     
     
         4 . The method for inhibiting muscle atrophy according to  claim 1 , wherein the muscle atrophy is caused by aging, bedridden, sedentary lifestyle, spaceflight, immobilization of limbs performed for treatment of injury, postoperative rest, side reaction of a drug, paralysis, spinal cord injury, traumatic injury of peripheral nerve, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, thermal burn, polio, Guillain-Barre syndrome, muscular dystrophy, congenital myotonia, infectious disease accompanied by inflammation, sepsis accompanying infectious disease, inflammatory bowel disease, connective tissue disease, renal failure, hepatic failure, cardiac failure, cancer, malignant tumor, cachexia, anorexia or hypercatabolism in terminal symptoms of a disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 4 , wherein the cause is a side reaction of a drug and wherein the drug is a steroid. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 4 , wherein the cause is infectious disease accompanied by inflammation and wherein the infectious disease is AIDS or viral hepatitis.