Researchers have discovered that transplanting specially treated repair stem cells into damaged muscle makes them twice as big and strong – and also stops them from ageing.
The results have stunned scientists who still have no real clue as to why the muscles are so miraculously transformed but hope that discovering the mechanism could provide a treatment for muscle wasting in the elderly.
"This was a very exciting and unexpected result," said Professor Bradley Olwin, the lead author at the University of Colorado.
Muscle stem cells are found between muscle fibres and surrounding connective tissue and are responsible for the repair and maintenance, said Prof Olwin.
The researchers transplanted between 10 and 50 stem cells from a donor mice into the host mice.
"We found that the transplanted stem cells are permanently altered and reduce the ageing of the transplanted muscle, maintaining strength and mass," said Prof Olwin.
"With further research we may one day be able to greatly resist the loss of muscle mass, size and strength in humans that accompanies ageing, as well as chronic degenerative diseases like muscular dystrophy."
A paper on the subject was published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
In the experiments, stem cells and muscle fibres were removed from three-month-old mice, briefly cultured and then transplanted into another three-month-old mice that had temporarily induced leg muscle injuries produced by barium chloride injections
The transplanted material seemed to kick the stem cells to a high gear for self-renewal, essentially taking over the production of muscle cells.
Read more at The Telegraph
Muscle stem cells are found between muscle fibres and surrounding connective tissue and are responsible for the repair and maintenance, said Prof Olwin.
The researchers transplanted between 10 and 50 stem cells from a donor mice into the host mice.
"We found that the transplanted stem cells are permanently altered and reduce the ageing of the transplanted muscle, maintaining strength and mass," said Prof Olwin.
"With further research we may one day be able to greatly resist the loss of muscle mass, size and strength in humans that accompanies ageing, as well as chronic degenerative diseases like muscular dystrophy."
A paper on the subject was published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
In the experiments, stem cells and muscle fibres were removed from three-month-old mice, briefly cultured and then transplanted into another three-month-old mice that had temporarily induced leg muscle injuries produced by barium chloride injections
The transplanted material seemed to kick the stem cells to a high gear for self-renewal, essentially taking over the production of muscle cells.
Read more at The Telegraph
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