Researchers at Tokyo Metropolitan University have found that PDGF-B helps repair muscle and promotes muscle growth and strength by stimulating the division of muscle stem cells. The research was published in the journal Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications.
The myokine protein PDGF-B is continuously produced in movement-related skeletal muscle cells. The scientists evaluated the effect of this protein on myoblasts, the precursor cells of muscles. They were able to show that PDGF-B stimulated myoblast division.
The scientists also found that PDGF-B affects existing muscle cells. Cells treated with this protein matured to a much larger size and produced more of the protein myosin, which is responsible for muscle contraction. This was directly related to the increase in the force of contraction. So PDGF-B not only helps build muscles but also strengthens them.
As the scientists found, this effect of the protein is associated with changes in the molecular signaling pathways involved in the maturation of muscle cells.
The scientists’ discovery was a huge step forward in the development of effective methods for the treatment of muscle injuries and age-related atrophy.