Using a straightforward culture method that does not rely on special cell culture conditions, a research group led by Dr. Naoya Kase and Prof. Megumu Saito has successfully established a model to evaluate the efficacy of skeletal muscle regeneration and determine how macrophages contribute to the process. On May 18, 2023, the study’s findings were made available online in the journal Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology.
Muscle tissue has a high ability to recover after injury. Although the specific mechanism by which macrophages, a type of immune cell, contribute to muscle regeneration is not fully understood, they play a crucial role in the process.
By cultivating mouse primary muscle cells in a dish, the research team created a straightforward model. The researchers discovered macrophages in the culture prior to and following muscle injury, indicating that they played a role in muscle regeneration. Moreover, the gathering noticed macrophages pre-treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a macrophage-enacting particle, had a lower ability to assist muscle in recovering because of expanded extracellular framework creation.
Together, the researchers created a brand-new model to investigate the potential effects on muscle regeneration of interactions between macrophages and skeletal muscle cells. It will be of great interest to examine how this may change in various muscular pathologies if the mechanism by which macrophages contribute to muscle regeneration is discovered. In addition, these results suggest that macrophages may be a potential therapeutic target for muscle injuries and disorders.
More information: Naoya Kase et al, A concise in vitro model for evaluating interactions between macrophage and skeletal muscle cells during muscle regeneration, Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology (2023). DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1022081
