Natural flavonoid silibinin promotes the migration and myogenic differentiation of murine C2C12 myoblasts via modulation of ROS generation and down-regulation of estrogen receptor α expression

Puerarin Promotes the Migration and Differentiation of Myoblasts by Activating the FAK and PI3K/AKT Signaling Pathways

Puerarin, a flavonoid compound present in the roots of radix puerariae, contributes to the development of tissues such as bone and nerve, but its role in skeletal muscle regeneration remains unclear. In this study, we employed C2C12 myoblasts and barium chloride (BaCl2)-based muscle injury models to investigate the effects of puerarin on myogenesis. Our study showed that puerarin stimulated the migration and differentiation of myoblasts in vitro. For the mechanism study, we found that puerarin's influence on cell migration was associated with the activation of FAK signaling; additionally, puerarin induced myoblast differentiation by upregulating the PI3K/AKT pathway. We also found that puerarin treatment could improve muscle regeneration following muscle injury. Taken together, our data indicate that puerarin facilitated myogenesis by promoting migration and differentiation, which suggests puerarin as a new candidate drug for the treatment of muscle loss diseases.

Estrogen receptors in mitochondrial metabolism: age-related changes and implications for pregnancy complications

Estrogen hormones are primarily associated with their role as female sex hormones responsible for primary and secondary sexual development. Estrogen receptors are known to undergo age-dependent decreases due to age-related changes in hormone production. In the mitochondria, estrogen functions by reducing the production of reactive oxygen species in the electron transport chain, inhibiting apoptosis, and regulating mitochondrial DNA content. Moreover, estrogen receptors may be the key components in maintaining mitochondrial membrane potential and structure. Although estrogen plays a crucial role in the development of pregnancy, our understanding of how estrogen receptors change with aging during pregnancy remains limited. During pregnancy, estrogen levels are significantly elevated, with a corresponding upregulation of estrogen receptors, which play various roles in pregnancy. However, the exact role of estrogen receptors in pregnancy complications remains to be further investigated. The paper reviews the role of estrogen receptors in the regulation of mitochondrial metabolism and in pregnancy complications, with a special focus on the effect of age-related changes on estrogen levels and estrogen receptors function. We also address how estrogen maintains mitochondrial function, including reducing the production of reactive oxygen species in the electron transport chain, inhibiting apoptosis, regulating mitochondrial DNA content, and maintaining mitochondrial membrane potential and structure. However, the effects of estrogen on mitochondria-endoplasmic reticulum contacts have not been well studied. Based on these emergent roles in mitochondria, the differential roles of estrogen receptors in pregnancy complications are of great relevance. The paper emphasizes the association between maternal health and estrogen receptors and indicates the need for future research to elucidate the interdependence of estrogen receptor-regulated maternal health with mitochondrial function and their relationship with the gut microbiome. Overall, we summarize the important role of estrogen receptors during pregnancy and highlight the need for further research to better understand the role of estrogen receptors in aging and pregnancy complications. This not only helps to reveal the mechanism underlying the role of estrogen in maternal health but also has potential clinical implications for the development of new therapies targeting age-related diseases and pregnancy complications.

The multifaceted role of mitochondria in cardiac function: insights and approaches

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains a global economic burden even in the 21st century with 85% of deaths resulting from heart attacks. Despite efforts in reducing the risk factors, and enhancing pharmacotherapeutic strategies, challenges persist in early identification of disease progression and functional recovery of damaged hearts. Targeting mitochondrial dysfunction, a key player in the pathogenesis of CVD has been less successful due to its role in other coexisting diseases. Additionally, it is the only organelle with an agathokakological function that is a remedy and a poison for the cell. In this review, we describe the origins of cardiac mitochondria and the role of heteroplasmy and mitochondrial subpopulations namely the interfibrillar, subsarcolemmal, perinuclear, and intranuclear mitochondria in maintaining cardiac function and in disease-associated remodeling. The cumulative evidence of mitochondrial retrograde communication with the nucleus is addressed, highlighting the need to study the genotype-phenotype relationships of specific organelle functions with CVD by using approaches like genome-wide association study (GWAS). Finally, we discuss the practicality of computational methods combined with single-cell sequencing technologies to address the challenges of genetic screening in the identification of heteroplasmy and contributory genes towards CVD.

Upregulated estrogen receptors impairs myogenesis and elevates adipogenesis related factor levels in the paravertebral muscles of patients with idiopathic scoliosis

The prevalence of idiopathic scoliosis (IS) is 2-3% worldwide and is more common in girls. Estrogen receptors (ERs) is supposed to be related to sex differences and development of IS. Meanwhile, paravertebral muscle (PVM) abnormalities play important roles in the pathogenesis of IS. But the changes of ERs between the PVMs from IS patients and controls, and the mechanism by which ERs may affect IS patients remain unclear. Thus, the expression levels of ERs, myogenesis regulator (MYOG) and adipogenesis related factors (CEBPA, PPARγ, FABP4), as well as morphological changes in the PVMs and primary skeletal muscle mesenchymal progenitor cells (hSM-MPCs) of IS patients and controls were investigated. Increased expression levels of ERs and CEBPA, PPARγ, FABP4, together with severe myofiber necrosis and fat infiltration, were found in the PVMs of IS patients. Meanwhile, upregulated ERs, FABP4 and CEBPA, downregulated MYOG and impaired myogenesis were also revealed in the hSM-MPCs of IS patients compared with those of controls. Upregulation of ERs inhibited myogenesis but increased expression of CEBPA and FABP4 in C2C12 myoblasts. Nevertheless, treatment of ER antagonist increased expression of MYOG, enhanced myogenesis and decreased expression of CEBPA and FABP4 in skeletal muscle cells of IS patients. Therefore, our study suggested that PVMs specific upregulation of ERs could impair myogenesis and increase the expression of adipogenesis related factors, further leading to PVMs abnormalities in IS patients.

Naringenin Promotes Myotube Formation and Maturation for Cultured Meat Production

Cultured meat is an emerging technology for manufacturing meat through cell culture rather than animal rearing. Under most existing culture systems, the content and maturity of in vitro generated myotubes are insufficient, limiting the application and public acceptance of cultured meat. Here we demonstrated that a natural compound, naringenin (NAR), promoted myogenic differentiation of porcine satellite cells (PSCs) in vitro and increased the content and maturity of generated myotubes, especially for PSCs that had undergone extensive expansion. Mechanistically, NAR upregulated the IGF-1/AKT/mTOR anabolic pathway during the myogenesis of PSCs by activating the estrogen receptor β. Moreover, PSCs were mixed with hydrogels and cultured in a mold with parallel micro-channels to manufacture cultured pork samples. More mature myosin was detected, and obvious sarcomere was observed when the differentiation medium was supplemented with NAR. Taken together, these findings suggested that NAR induced the differentiation of PSCs and generation of mature myotubes through upregulation of the IGF-1 signaling, contributing to the development of efficient and innovative cultured meat production systems.