SVF
Level D· Preclinical EvidenceAnimal Study

Adipose-Derived Stem Cells Alleviate Denervation-Induced Muscle Atrophy by Promoting M2 Macrophage Polarization and Reducing Inflammation.

Zhao Q., Sowa Y., Koh O., Li Y., Sakamoto M., Higai S.

Animal Study on Knee, published in Muscle Nerve (2026) — summary generated from the PubMed abstract.

This page is generated from the PubMed record. The Thai description is an automated summary of bibliographic fields and the abstract, not a full translation, and is not medical advice.

Study type
Animal Study
Journal
Muscle Nerve (2026)
Country
United States
Reported sample size
—
PMID
41366198
DOI
10.1002/mus.70094

Abstract (original English)

Denervation-induced muscle atrophy lacks effective therapies. Adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) show promise for tissue repair. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of local ADSC delivery on denervated muscle, investigate underlying mechanisms, and track ADSC distribution and migration in vivo. In a mouse model of sciatic nerve transection and immediate reverse autograft repair, ADSCs or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) were injected into the right gastrocnemius following nerve injury. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and in vivo imaging system (IVIS) tracked ADSC migration. Muscle strength and gastrocnemius mass were measured. Histology (H&E, Masson), immunostaining (MyoD, CD163), and the real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assessed fiber size, fibrosis, muscle regeneration, M2 macrophage infiltration, and inflammatory gene expression. Endpoints were measured 1 week after the final injection (4 weeks post-injury). IVIS showed that injected ADSCs were visualized for 3-5 days in vivo while MRI localized cells predominantly to the quadriceps and knee regions. ADSC treatment increased normalized muscle strength (p < 0.05), normalized gastrocnemius muscle weight (p < 0.001) and fiber diameter (p < 0.05); downregulated MMP2 expression (p < 0.001), enhanced MyoD+ cell count (p < 0.001), and promoted M2 macrophage infiltration (CD163+ cells, p < 0.05;

What this study does not prove

  • • This study does not prove SVF is an approved treatment or a replacement for standard care.
  • • This is preclinical work; animal or laboratory results cannot be applied to humans.

Evidence level

Evidence comes from animal or laboratory studies and has not been confirmed in humans.

How we grade evidence
AnimalsMuscular AtrophyMiceMacrophagesInflammationAdipose TissueMaleMice, Inbred C57BLMuscle, SkeletalStem Cell Transplantation
Knee
View on PubMedDOI

Related research