Pericytes for muscle regeneration
Cell transplantation will help restore muscle mass lost due to immobility
Lina Medvedeva, XX2 Century
Injections of cells that support the growth of blood vessels into muscles depleted by the immobilized state help, according to scientists, to restore muscle mass.
Studies conducted on adult mice consisted of intramuscular injection of cells called pericytes. They promote the growth of blood vessels and connective tissue in general throughout the body. The injections were given after a two-week period during which the mice could not contract the muscles of one of the hind legs.
Article by Munroe et al. Pericyte transplantation improves skeletal muscle recovery following hindlimb immobilization is published in the FASEB journal.
"As soon as the mice became mobile, we injected them with pericytes and found that there was a complete recovery of muscle mass, as well as the vascular system," says Vorit Marni Boppart, professor at the University of Illinois.
The mice that were injected showed a significant improvement, unlike the mice that recovered mobility without injections. The team of researchers also noted that the immobility of the muscles itself led to a significant decrease in the number of pericytes in the affected muscle tissue.
The study is part of a long-term effort to identify factors contributing to muscle loss, in particular, due to immobility.
"We know that if you don't use your muscles for a long time, for example, as a result of bed rest or immobilization of a body part in a cast, muscle mass is lost," says Boppart, "and even when this condition stops and the patient begins to move his muscles, the recovery process is very long."
Elderly people cannot fully recover lost muscle mass after a period of immobility.
"They cannot recover, they become disabled, and then it goes downhill," says Boppart, "they are institutionalized as disabled people, and die earlier."
Researchers have been looking for a long time how, with the help of clinical intervention, they can help restore lost muscle mass and function disrupted by inactivity.
"As far as I know, no one has previously shown anything that would effectively improve the recovery process," Boppart concludes. – We are pleased with the new results, because we hope one day to use cells or biomaterials obtained from these cells to restore lost muscle mass. Most of all, this problem concerns the elderly and the disabled, who are most likely to face a decrease in general health as a result of a decrease in muscle performance."
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