title: Induction of skeletal muscle differentiation in vitro by therapeutic ultrasound.
abstract: Therapeutic ultrasound (TU) has been used for the last 50 y in rehabilitation, including treatment of soft tissues. Ultrasound waves can be employed in two different modes of operation, continuous and pulsed, which produce both thermal and non-thermal effects. Despite the large-scale use of TU, there are few scientific studies on its biologic effects during skeletal muscle differentiation. To better analyze the cellular effects of TU, we decided to follow cells in vitro. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of TU in primary chick myogenic cell cultures using phase contrast optical microscopy and immunofluorescence microscopy, followed by image analysis and quantification. Our results indicate that TU can stimulate the differentiation of skeletal muscle cells in vitro, as measured by the thickness of multinucleated myotubes, the ratio of mononucleated cells to multinucleated cells and expression of the muscle-specific protein desmin. This study is a first step toward a metrologic and science-based protocol for cell treatment under different ultrasound field exposures.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Ultrassom, Diretoria de Metrologia Científica e Industrial (DIMCI), Instituto Nacional de Metrologia, Qualidade e Tecnologia (INMETRO), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Viviane Mendes
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Abrunhosa
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Carolina Pontes
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Soares
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ana Claudia
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Batista Possidonio
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Ultrassom, Diretoria de Metrologia Científica e Industrial (DIMCI), Instituto Nacional de Metrologia, Qualidade e Tecnologia (INMETRO), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: André Victor
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Alvarenga
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Ultrassom, Diretoria de Metrologia Científica e Industrial (DIMCI), Instituto Nacional de Metrologia, Qualidade e Tecnologia (INMETRO), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rodrigo P B
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Costa-Felix
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Manoel Luis
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. Electronic address: mermelstein@ufrj.br.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mermelstein
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000528:radiation effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002642:Chick Embryo; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D019220:High-Energy Shock Waves; D018485:Muscle Fibers, Skeletal / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects; D032448:Myoblasts, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D014464:Ultrasonic Therapy / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Desmin; Myogenesis; Skeletal muscle differentiation; Therapeutic ultrasound