Biochemical characterization of skeletal muscle cells differentiated from tonsil-derived stem cell

Background & Aim The ease of human tonsil-derived stem cell (TMSC) source is useful for stem cell therapy in various skeletal muscle disorder (SKMD), and previously we reported that TMSCs can differentiate into skeletal muscle cell (SKMC)s, which are therefore a promising candidate in cell therapies for the SKMD. The skeletal muscles which account for the majority of insulin-mediated glucose uptake in the post-prandial state play an important role in maintaining glucose homeostasis. In skeletal muscles, insulin promotes glucose uptake by activating phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling, leading to increased translocation of glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) to the plasma membrane. Therefore, we investigated the biochemical characterization of SKMCs differentiated from TMSCs for the use of clinical purposes. Methods, Results & Conclusion After the differentiating in our own methods, we confirmed that the expressions of acetylcholine receptor (AchR) and GLUT4 in TMSC-SKMCs have been increased compared to undifferentiated TMSCs. Also, to test their insulin responsiveness, by treating TMSC-SKMCs with 100 nM insulin for 30 minutes, the changes of the GLUT4 expression and the PI3K/Akt signaling under the low or high glucose medium in the TMSC-SKMCs were analyzed. Furthermore, the mitochondria of TMSC-SKMCs were observed during insulin responsiveness, which was play a role in the regulation of myogenesis. Collectively, we report the biochemical characterization of TMSC-SKMCs is associated with GLUT4 and PI3K/Akt signaling, likely to human SKMCs.