Changes of Myogenic Reactive Oxygen Species and Interleukin-6 in Contracting Skeletal Muscle Cells

Abstract EN

The aim of this study was to measure changes in myotube reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the production of interleukin (IL)-6 in electrically stimulated mouse C2C12 skeletal muscle cells.

After five days of differentiation, myotubes were stimulated using an electrical stimulator set at 45 V at a frequency of 5 Hz, with a pulse width of 20 ms.

Acute stimulations were performed for 45, 60, 75, 90, or 120 min in each dish.

ROSs were detected in the extracted cells directly using a fluorescent probe.

IL-6 mRNA expression in C2C12 myotubes and IL-6 concentration in C2C12 myotube supernatants were determined using real-time PCR and ELISA, respectively.

Compared with control cells, ROS generation was significantly increased at 45 min after the onset of stimulation (P<0.01) and continued to increase, reaching a maximum at 120 min.

IL-6 mRNA expression and IL-6 concentration in C2C12 cells were significantly increased after 75 min (P<0.01) and 120 min (P<0.05) of electrical stimulation (ES) compared with the control cells.

Our data show that a specific ES intensity may modulate ROS accumulation and affect IL-6 gene expression in contracting skeletal muscle cells.