Engineered muscle grafts boost strength and bone health in mice
Scientists have developed injectable muscle implants that increase muscle mass, strength and bone density in laboratory mice, offering a potential new approach to counteract age-related muscle loss.
A team of biologists created injectable muscle grafts, termed myografts, by isolating stem cells from mouse quadriceps and growing them into organized muscle tissue in the lab. After subdermal implantation, the grafts contracted continuously, formed blood vessels and persisted for several months. Adult mice receiving myografts developed thicker muscle fibers, showed reduced inflammatory markers and accumulated less fat, while older mice gained lean mass, higher bone density and performed better in grip-strength and running tests.
In obese mice, the implants lowered fat proportion, blood glucose, cholesterol and systemic inflammation, and even improved exploratory behavior in maze trials. Researchers caution that translating the approach to humans would require multiple grafts, which may be invasive for the target population. Nonetheless, the proof-of-concept points to a novel strategy for mitigating sarcopenia and related metabolic issues.
Why it matters
It introduces a possible medical tool to combat muscle wasting in the elderly and immobile patients.
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