Laminin-111 Improves The Anabolic Response To Mechanical Load In Aged Skeletal Muscle

Anabolic resistance to a mechanical stimulus may contribute to the loss of skeletal muscle mass observed with age. In this study, young and aged mice were injected with saline or human LM-111 (1 mg/kg). One week later, the myotendinous junction of the gastrocnemius muscle was removed via myotenectomy (MTE), thus placing a chronic mechanical stimulus on the remaining plantaris muscle for 2 weeks. LM-111 increased alpha 7B integrin protein expression and clustering of the alpha 7B integrin near DAPI(+) nuclei in aged muscle in response to MTE. LM-111 reduced CD11b(+) immune cells, enhanced repair, and improved the growth response to loading in aged plantaris muscle. These results suggest that LM-111 may represent a novel therapeutic approach to prevent and/or treat sarcopenia.