Effects of dextrose prolotherapy on contusion-induced muscle injuries in mice

Abstract

Current treatment options for muscle injuries remain suboptimal and often result in delayed/incomplete recovery of damaged muscles. In this study, the effects of dextrose prolotherapy on inflammation and regeneration of skeletal muscles after a contusion injury were investigated. Mice were separated into five groups, including a normal control (NC), post-injury with no treatment (mass-drop injury, MDI), post-injury with 10% dextrose (MDI + 10% dextrose), post-injury with 20% dextrose (MDI + 20% dextrose), and post-injury with 30% dextrose (MDI + 30% dextrose). The gastrocnemius muscles of the mice were subjected to an MDI, and muscle samples were collected at 7 days post-injury. Results showed the serum creatine kinase (CK), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine (CREA), and low-density lipoprotein (LDH) of the MDI-alone group were significantly higher than those of the normal control group (p<0.05). However, levels of serum CK, BUN, CREA, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) significantly decreased with different concentrations of dextrose. In addition, dextrose suppressed the macrophage response (F4/80 protein decreased) and promoted muscle satellite cell regeneration (desmin protein increased). In conclusion, dextrose prolotherapy can effectively help repair muscles; therefore, it may be one of the methods for clinically treating muscle injuries.

Therapeutic Effects of Resveratrol Liposome on Muscle Injury in Rats

“…Desmin is an intermediate filament protein that connects the Z-line to the mitochondria, the nucleus, and the cell membrane, and its role is mainly to limit the excessive involvement of sarcomeres in muscle contraction and relaxation [29–31]. Collagen I is one of the main types of collagen in muscle tissue, and the gap between the stumps after muscle injury is initially filled with hematoma [32].…”

The Effectivity of Prolotherapy Treatment in Shin Splint: A Randomized Controlled Study

“…Therefore, we similarly applied prolotherapy to enthesis in our study. It has also been shown that prolotherapy is effective in the repair of muscle injuries 23 . Similarly, prolotherapy was shown to be beneficial in improving muscle damage and regeneration in this region in our study.…”

Effectiveness, Compliance, and Safety of Dextrose Prolotherapy for Knee Osteoarthritis: A Meta-Analysis and Metaregression of Randomized Controlled Trials

“…9 Studies using animal models have suggested that dextrose injection results in stimulation of the inflammatory response, 10 increased ligament size, 11 restored cartilage matrix, 12 and increased desmin protein levels in injured muscle. 13 Most recently, the chondrogenic and antinociceptive effects of dextrose prolotherapy have been demonstrated. [14][15][16] Dextrose prolotherapy has been considered an injection-based complementary and alternative medical therapy.…”