Skeletal Muscle Wasting, Regeneration, and Stem Cells

Dear Colleagues,

We are serving as Guest Editors for the Special Issue “Skeletal Muscle Wasting, Regeneration and Stem Cells” for the journal International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). We hope that you are willing to participate given your expertise in this area and our confidence in the quality of your contributions.

Skeletal muscle wasting occurs during aging or pathological conditions, and it is characterized by a significant reduction in muscle mass and strength, lowering a patient’s quality of life and increasing morbidity and mortality. Muscle wasting involves an imbalance between protein synthesis and degradation, and it is the result of multifactorial processes such as chronic inflammation, increased levels of oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunctions, and impairment of the regenerative process.

The regenerative process is characterized by a coordinated sequence of events, resembling the embryonic development of skeletal muscle, and depends on the sequential expression of myogenic regulatory factors (MRFs) which act in cooperation with specific transcription factors, such as Pax7 and MEF2, to maintain and preserve tissue structure and functionality upon damaged stimuli. However, during aging or pathological conditions, this regenerative program is severely compromised, with a progressive loss of muscle mass and function. This effect seems to be closely related to the progressive loss of stem cell populations or the lack of signals that prevent damaged tissues from carrying out an efficient regeneration program.

The most useful strategies to counteract skeletal muscle wasting include physical exercise and nutritional supplementation; however, to date, no effective countermeasure for skeletal muscle atrophy has been developed.

This Special Issue calls for original articles and reviews that provide IJMS readers with the latest information on the molecular mechanisms involved in muscle wasting and regeneration and the role that stem cells play in these processes. Furthermore, particular attention will be paid to possible therapeutic strategies that aim to maintain skeletal muscle homeostasis.

Dr. Bianca Maria Scicchitano
Dr. Gabriella Dobrowolny
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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• muscle wasting
• oxidative stress
• inflammation
• nutrition
• exercise
• neuromuscular diseases
• mitochondrial dysfunction
• myopathy