Clinical-grade human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells reverse skeletal muscle dysfunction in age-associated sarcopenia mice

Abstract

With the expansion of the ageing population, age-associated sarcopenia (AAS) has become a severe clinical disease of the elderly and a key challenge for healthy ageing. However, there are no approved therapies for AAS. In this study, we first used clinical-grade human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) to treat AAS in two classic mouse models (SAMP8 mice and D-galactose-induced ageing mice) and studied the effects at the behavioural, histological, cellular and molecular levels by means of behavioural tests, immunostaining, western blotting and others. Core data results showed that hUC-MSCs dramatically restored skeletal muscle strength and performance in two AAS mouse models via the mechanisms including raising the expression of crucial extracellular matrix proteins, activating satellite cells, enhancing autophagy, and impeding the cellular ageing. For the first time, we comprehensively evaluated and demonstrated the preclinical efficacy of clinical-grade hUC-MSCs in the treatment of AAS in two mouse models. Our study highlights a promising strategy to improve and treat AAS and other age-associated muscle diseases.