Scientific Reports· 2026Q1
Muscle stem cell treatment mitigates stress-associated multiorgan dysfunction in D-galactose-induced accelerated aging mice and improves behavior in naturally aged mice
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- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
Intravenous muscle stem cell (MuSC) treatment improved motor endurance, cognitive function, and reduced organ damage markers in accelerated aging mice, and enhanced behavior in naturally aged mice.
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Key points
- MuSC treatment improved motor endurance, foraging, and spatial learning/memory in D-galactose-treated mice.
- MuSC treatment reduced liver enzymes (ALT/AST), BUN, and inflammatory markers (TNF-alpha/IL-6), while increasing antioxidant enzymes (SOD/GSH-Px).
- Histological analysis showed reduced damage in liver, kidneys, skin, gastrointestinal tract, lungs, heart, and skeletal muscle.
- MuSCs improved rotarod, food-maze, navigation, and spatial-probe performance in naturally aged mice.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Muscle stem cells (MuSCs) support skeletal muscle repair, but whether systemic MuSC administration mitigates stress-associated multiorgan dysfunction remains unclear. We evaluated MuSCs in a D-galactose-induced accelerated aging model and performed additional behavioral validation in naturally aged mice. Female KM mice received D-galactose for eight weeks with or without weekly intravenous MuSCs. Behavioral performance, serum injury, oxidative and inflammatory biomarkers, multiorgan histopathology, and heart/skeletal muscle transcriptomes were assessed. Naturally aged mice were tested for motor and cognitive behaviors after MuSC treatment. MuSC administration improved motor endurance, foraging, and spatial learning/memory in D-gal-treated mice, reduced ALT/AST and BUN, increased SOD/GSH-Px, and decreased TNF-alpha/IL-6. Histology showed attenuation of hepatic lipid accumulation, renal/glomerular injury, dermal and gastrointestinal atrophy, pulmonary inflammation, sarcopenia, lipid deposition, and fibrosis, with lower p16/p21 in heart and gastrocnemius. Transcriptomics indicated partial restoration of metabolic, genomic-stability, and immune pathways. In naturally aged mice, MuSCs improved rotarod, food-maze, navigation, and spatial-probe performance. These data support MuSCs as a candidate transient cell-based modulator of oxidative stress-associated dysfunction and behavioral decline, while further work is required to define cell fate, sex-specific responses, cell specificity, and chronological aging mechanisms.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Scientific Reports, 2026 · DOI ↗
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AgingBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology