Soluble age-related factors from skeletal muscle which influence muscle development

Successful regeneration of damaged striated muscle in adult mice is dependent on the regeneration of newly differentiated myofibers from proliferating satellite cells and inhibition of scar tissue formation by fibroblasts. As with most tissues, the ability of skeletal muscle to regenerate decreases in older animals. In this study, we have analysed soluble extracts from intact and regenerating skeletal muscle from mice of different ages for their ability to affect avian myogenesis in tissue culture. We were interested in determining whether an age-dependent difference could be detected with this tissue culture bioassay system.