Figure 3. Pericytes Isolated from Muscle After Disuse Fail to Ameliorate Oxidative Stress or Suppress Muscle Protein Breakdown during Recovery.

(a) Schematic diagram of experimental design for pericyte injection. Young adult (4 month) mice were subjected to unilateral limb stapling for 2 weeks. Immediately after removal of the staple, pericytes isolated from mobile limbs of donor mice (Mobile Pericyte/PC) or derived from stapled and immobilized limbs of donor mice (Immobile Pericyte/PC) were injected into the TA muscle. A group of mice also received PBS as a control. TA muscles were then dissected and evaluated from indices of recovery after 3 days of remobilization. (b) Assessment of 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE), in skeletal muscle after 3 days of remobilization with PBS, Mobile PC, and Immobile PC treatment. (c) Assessment of 8-Oxo-2’-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), a marker of oxidative stress, in skeletal muscle after 3 days of remobilization with PBS, Mobile PC, and Immobile PC treatment. (d) Assessment of Akt^Ser473:Akt, and FOXO3a, Atrogin-1, and ubiquitinated protein in skeletal muscle after 3 days of remobilization. n=8/group. All values expressed as mean ± SEM. *p<0.05 vs. PBS; +p<0.05 vs. Mobile Pericyte. Scale bar: 50μm.