title: Effects of intraperitoneal injection of microencapsulated Sertoli cells on chronic and presymptomatic dystrophic mice.
abstract: We report data about the effects of intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of specific pathogen-free (SPF) porcine Sertoli cells (SeC) encapsulated into clinical grade alginate-based microcapsules (SeC-MC) on muscles of chronic and presymptomatic dystrophic, mdx mice. Mdx mouse is the best characterized animal model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), an X-linked lethal myopathy due to mutation in the gene of dystrophin, which is crucial for myofiber integrity during muscle contraction. Our data show that three weeks after i.p. injection of SeC-MC significantly reduced adipose and fibrous tissue deposition, reduced macrophage infiltrate, and reduced numbers of damaged myofibers are found in muscles of 12-month-old mdx mice, which reproduce chronic DMD conditions. Compared with muscles of mock-treated mdx mice muscles of SeC-MC-treated mice show upregulation of the dystrophin paralogue, utrophin which is localized to the periphery of myofibers. Moreover, our data show that i.p. injection of SeC-MC into presymptomatic, 2-week-old mdx mice, although not fully preventing myofiber degeneration, results in protection against myofiber necrosis and muscle inflammation. Extensive discussion of these data can be found in Ref. [1].
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia 06132, Italy; Interuniversity Institute of Myology (IIM), Italy.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chiappalupi
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia 06132, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Luca
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia 06132, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mancuso
authors.affiliation: IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome 00143, Italy; National Research Council, Institute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology, Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome 00143, Italy; Interuniversity Institute of Myology (IIM), Italy.
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Madaro
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia 06132, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fallarino
authors.affiliation: Unit of Histology, DAHFMO, La Sapienza University, Rome 00161, Italy; Interuniversity Institute of Myology (IIM), Italy.
authors.forename: Carmine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nicoletti
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia 06132, Italy.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Calvitti
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia 06132, Italy.
authors.forename: Iva
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Arato
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia 06132, Italy.
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Falabella
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia 06132, Italy.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Salvadori
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia 06126, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Di Meo
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia 06126, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonello
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bufalari
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Perugia, Perugia 06123, Italy.
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Giovagnoli
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: Riccardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Calafiore
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia 06132, Italy; Interuniversity Institute of Myology (IIM), Italy.
authors.forename: Rosario
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Donato
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia 06132, Italy; Interuniversity Institute of Myology (IIM), Italy.
authors.forename: Guglielmo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sorci