title: GDF11 Treatment Attenuates the Recovery of Skeletal Muscle Function After Injury in Older Rats.
abstract: Loss of skeletal muscle mass and function results in loss of mobility for elderly patients. Novel therapies that can protect and/or restore muscle function during aging would have profound effects on the quality of life for this population. Growth differentiation factor 11 (GDF11) has been proposed as a "youthful" circulating factor that can restore cardiac, neural, and skeletal muscle functions in aging animals. However, conflicting data has been recently published that casts doubt on these assertions. We used a complex rat model of skeletal muscle injury that physiologically mimics injuries seen in patients; to investigate the ability of GDF11 and to enhance skeletal muscle regeneration after injury in older rats. Our data showed that GDF11 treatment resulted in a significant increase in tissue fibrosis, accompanied by attenuated functional recovery, as compared to animals treated with vehicle alone. GDF11 impaired the recovery of skeletal muscle function in older rats after injury.
authors.affiliation: Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 27157, USA.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 27157, USA.
authors.forename: Neel
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.affiliation: Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 27157, USA.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dukes
authors.affiliation: Boehringer-Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Ridgefield, Connecticut, USA.
authors.forename: Maria B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Myzithras
authors.affiliation: Boehringer-Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Ridgefield, Connecticut, USA.
authors.forename: Priyanka
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.affiliation: Boehringer-Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Ridgefield, Connecticut, USA.
authors.forename: Ashraf
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khalil
authors.affiliation: Boehringer-Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Ridgefield, Connecticut, USA.
authors.forename: Julius
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kahn
authors.affiliation: Boehringer-Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Ridgefield, Connecticut, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Ahlberg
authors.affiliation: Boehringer-Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Ridgefield, Connecticut, USA.
authors.forename: David B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Hayes
authors.affiliation: Boehringer-Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Ridgefield, Connecticut, USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Franti
authors.affiliation: Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 27157, USA. tcriswel@wakehealth.edu.
authors.forename: Tracy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Criswell
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005355:Fibrosis; D055412:Growth Differentiation Factors / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000293:injuries / Q000378:metabolism*; D011788:Quality of Life; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D012038:Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins; C492266:GDF11 protein, human; D055412:Growth Differentiation Factors
keywords: GDF11; regeneration; sarcopenia; skeletal muscle