Human muscle progenitor cell (hMPC) function facilitates skeletal muscle regeneration and is influenced by circulating factors. Yet it is unknown whether dietary interventions impact hMPC function. Blueberry consumption was examined due to the pro-proliferative and antioxidant effects of blueberries and blueberry-derived compounds.
Objectives:
This study measured indicators of hMPC function in young and old cultures treated with serum collected from a blueberry-enriched diet (BED) intervention.
Methods:
Younger (21–40 y,n = 12) and older (60–79 y,n = 10) women consumed a 6-wk BED (38 g of freeze-dried blueberries daily). Fasting serum was collected at 0, 4, and 6 wk, and a fed serum sample at 1.5 h (acute) after starting the BED intervention. Young and old hMPCs, derived from 3–5 distinct donors (biological replicates), were individually cultured in media containing pooled, age-group–matched serum from each time point. Determinants of hMPC function (e.g., hMPC number, oxidative stress resistance, and upregulation of metabolic pathways) were measured and compared within age groups.
Results:
Culturing young hMPCs in acute (compared with 0 wk) BED serum did not alter hMPC number or oxidative stress–induced cell death, but increased cellular oxygen consumption (29%, P = 0.026). Culturing young hMPCs in 6-wk (compared with 0-wk) BED serum increased hMPC number (40%, P = 0.0024), conferred minor resistance to oxidative stress–induced cell death (12.6 percentage point decrease, P = 0.10), and modestly increased oxygen consumption (36%, P = 0.09). No beneficial effect of the acute or long-term BED serum was observed in old hMPCs.
Conclusions:
In younger women, dietary interventions could be a feasible strategy to improve hMPC function and thus muscle regeneration, through altering the serum environment.This study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov
Keywords:
muscle progenitor cell
muscle stem cell
blueberry
antioxidant
muscle regeneration
Abbreviations used:
BED
blueberry-enriched diet
bFGF
basic fibroblast growth factor
ECAR
extracellular acidification rate
GI
gastrointestinal
hMPC
human muscle progenitor cell
HMRU
Human Metabolic Research Unit
MPC
muscle progenitor cell
OCR
oxygen consumption rate
SIRT1
sirtuin 1
TBST
Trisbuffered saline with Tween 20
Cited by (0)
This study was supported by the US Highbush Blueberry Council, Division of Nutritional Sciences
Author disclosures: The authors report no conflicts of interest.
The Highbush Blueberry Council was not involved in study design, analysis, or data interpretation, nor did they influence the decision to publish. The role of the Highbush Blueberry Council in study implementation was limited to provision of the freeze-dried blueberries. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program under Grant No. DGE-1650441 (to JEB). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. Additionally, this material is based on work supported by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research Doctoral Foreign Study Award (to BJG).
