The Effect of Nutritional Supplements on Muscle-Derived Stem Cells in vitro.

Postnatal muscle stem cells, recognized as myogenic satellite cells, were isolated from sheep skeletal muscle and used in these experiments. Forty-one different metabolic compounds that are commonly found in commercially-available oral supplements were exposed to primary muscle stem cell cultures, in an effort to ascertain whether any one compound could alter satellite cell proliferation or differentiation (a first step towards elucidating the metabolomics or nutrigenomics of these stem cells). These compounds included energetic moieties, amino acid analogs, fatty acids and analogs including different forms of conjugated linoleic acid, minerals and mineral conjugates, insect hormones, caffeine, plant extracts, and extracts from over-the-counter supplements, and were obtained by key manufacturers in a form that would be commercially available. The compounds were sterilized and then exposed to myogenic satellite cell cultures at different levels (ranging from toxic to physiologic) to ascertain if there would be an effect. The results suggested that exposure of satellite cells to only a few compounds resulted in any measurable effect(s). Ten compounds elicited increases in proliferation, and four compounds promoted increases in differentiation. These results suggest avenues for the exploration of enhancing muscle stem cell activity of interest for muscle wasting disorders, sarcopenia of aging and physical performance.