Investigation of the mechanism of muscle contracture and development of the new therapeutic strategies for rehabilitation on muscle contracture

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26882030
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Rehabilitation science/Welfare engineering
• Research Institution: Nagasaki University
• Principal Investigator: HONDA Yuichiro 長崎大学, 病院(医学系), 技術職員 (40736344)
• Research Collaborator: OKITA Minoru 長崎大学, 医歯薬学総合研究科(保健学科), 教授 (50244091) ; NAKANO Jiro 長崎大学, 医歯薬学総合研究科(保健学科), 准教授 (20380834) ; SAKAMOTO Jyunya 長崎大学, 医歯薬学総合研究科(保健学科), 准教授 (20584080)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-08-29 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 不動 / 筋性拘縮 / 線維化 / マクロファージ / IL-1β / TGF-β1 / 低酸素状態 / 電気刺激

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The aim of this study was is to clarify the mechanism of muscle contracture and development of the new therapeutic strategies for rehabilitation on muscular contracture. The molecular mechanism on immobilization-induced muscle fibrosis in rat soleus muscle was determined in this study, As a result, in the early stages of immobilization, upregulation of IL-1β/TGF-β1 via macrophages might promote fibroblast differentiation that might affect muscle fibrosis. The skeletal muscle became hypoxic in the later stages of immobilization, suggesting that hypoxia influences the progression of muscle fibrosis. In addition, we considered new therapeutic strategies for muscle contracture, electrical stimulation therapy with muscle twitch was effective to muscle contracture.

Free Research Field

リハビリテーション科学・福祉工学