Muscle-derived stem-cell (MDSC) transplantation presents a promising method for the treatment of muscle injuries. This study investigated the ability of exercise to enhance MDSC transplantation into the injured muscle. Mice were divided into four groups: contusion þ phosphate-buffered saline (C þ PBS; n ¼ 14 muscles), C þ MDSC transplantation (n ¼ 12 muscles), C þ PBS þ treadmill running (C þ PBS þ TM; n ¼ 17 muscles), and C þ MDSC þ TM (n ¼ 13 muscles). One day after injury, the TM groups began running for 1 or 5 weeks. Two days after injury, muscles of C þ MDSC and C þ MDSC þ TM groups were injected with MDSCs. One or 5 weeks later, the number and differentiation of transplanted MDSCs, myofiber regeneration, collagen I formation, and vascularity were assessed histologically. In vitro, MDSCs were subjected to mechanical stimulation, and growth kinetics were quantified. In vitro, mechanical stimulation decreased the MDSC population doubling time (18.6 AE 1.6 h) and cell division time (10.9 AE 0.7 h), compared with the controls (population doubling time: 23.0 AE 3.4 h; cell division time: 13.3 AE 1.1 h) ( p ¼ 0.01 and 0.03, respectively). In vivo, 5 weeks of TM increased the myogenic contribution of transplanted MDSCs, compared with the controls ( p ¼ 0.02). C þ MDSC, C þ PBS þ TM, and C þ MDSC þ TM demonstrated decreased fibrosis at 5 weeks, compared with the C þ PBS controls ( p ¼ 0.00, p ¼ 0.03, and p ¼ 0.02, respectively). Results suggest that the mechanical stimulation favors MDSC proliferation, both in vitro and in vivo, and that exercise enhances MDSC transplantation after injury.
Over 4 million individuals in the US, and over 140 million individuals worldwide, are exposed daily to arsenic-contaminated drinking water. Human exposures can range from below the current limit of 10 µg/L to over 1 mg/L, with 100 µg/L promoting disease in a large portion of those exposed. Although increased attention has recently been paid to myopathy following arsenic exposure, the pathogenic mechanisms underlying clinical symptoms remain poorly understood. This study tested the hypothesis that arsenic induces lasting muscle mitochondrial dysfunction and impairs metabolism. When compared to non-exposed controls, mice exposed to drinking water containing 100µg/L arsenite for 5 weeks demonstrated impaired muscle function, mitochondrial myopathy, and altered oxygen consumption that were concomitant with increased mitochondrial fusion gene transcription. There was no difference in levels of inorganic arsenic or its mononomethyl- and dimethyl- metabolites between controls and exposed muscles, confirming that arsenic does not accumulate in muscle. Nevertheless, muscle progenitor cells isolated from exposed mice recapitulated the aberrant myofiber phenotype and were more resistant to oxidative stress, generated more reactive oxygen species, and displayed autophagic mitochondrial morphology, as compared to cells isolated from non-exposed mice. These pathological changes from a possible maladaptive oxidative stress response provide insight into declines in muscle functioning caused by exposure to this common environmental contaminant.
Cellular therapy is a potential approach to improve the regenerative capacity of damaged or diseased skeletal muscle. However, its clinical use has often been limited by impaired donor cell survival, proliferation and differentiation following transplantation. Additionally, functional improvements after transplantation are all-too-often negligible. Because the host microenvironment plays an important role in the fate of transplanted cells, methods to modulate the microenvironment and guide donor cell behavior are warranted. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the use of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) for 1 or 4 weeks following muscle-derived stem cell (MDSC) transplantation into dystrophic skeletal muscle can modulate the fate of donor cells and enhance their contribution to muscle regeneration and functional improvements. Animals submitted to 4 weeks of NMES after transplantation demonstrated a 2-fold increase in the number of dystrophin+ myofibers as compared to control transplanted muscles. These findings were concomitant with an increased vascularity in the MDSC+NMES group when compared to non-stimulated counterparts. Additionally, animals subjected to NMES (with or without MDSC transplantation) presented an increased maximal specific tetanic force when compared to controls. Although cell transplantation and/or the use of NMES resulted in no changes in fatigue resistance, the combination of both MDSC transplantation and NMES resulted in a faster recovery from fatigue, when compared to non-injected and non-stimulated counterparts. We conclude that NMES is a viable method to improve MDSC engraftment, enhance dystrophic muscle strength, and, in combination with MDSC transplantation, improve recovery from fatigue. These findings suggest that NMES may be a clinically-relevant adjunct approach for cell transplantation into skeletal muscle.
Most patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI) from peripheral arterial disease (PAD) do not have antecedent intermittent claudication (IC). We hypothesized that transcriptomic analysis would identify CLI-specific pathways, particularly in regards to fibrosis. Derivation cohort data from muscle biopsies in PAD and non-PAD (controls) was obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GSE120642). Transcriptomic analysis indicated CLI patients (N = 16) had a unique gene expression profile, when compared with non-PAD controls (N = 15) and IC (N = 20). Ninety-eight genes differed between controls and IC, 2489 genes differed between CLI and controls, and 2783 genes differed between CLI and IC patients. Pathway enrichment analysis showed that pathways associated with TGFβ, collagen deposition, and VEGF signaling were enriched in CLI but not IC. Receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis of nine fibrosis core gene expression revealed the areas under the ROC (AUC) were all >0.75 for CLI. Furthermore, the fibrosis area (AUC = 0.81) and % fibrosis (AUC = 0.87) in validation cohort validated the fibrosis discrimination CLI from IC and control (all n = 12). In conclusion, transcriptomic analysis identified fibrosis pathways, including those involving TGFβ, as a novel gene expression feature for CLI but not IC. Fibrosis is an important characteristic of CLI, which we confirmed histologically, and may be a target for novel therapies in PAD.
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