(-) - Epicatechin improves Tibialis anterior muscle repair in CD1 mice with BaCl₂-induced damage

Several studies have shown the beneficial effect that Epicatechin (Epi) has on the skeletal muscle of murine models and patients with muscular dystrophy and in the muscles of patients with diabetes or murine sarcopenia models. This flavanol has been shown to enhance antioxidant pathways and improve muscle architecture. However, the repair process during muscle regeneration has not been analyzed. To address this, we characterize the effect of Epi in the repair process of the Tibialis anterior in a murine model with BaCl₂-induced damage. CD1 mice of 10 weeks of age were randomly selected and injured with BaCl₂. One hour later, they were divided into four groups (n=6 for histology groups and n=12 for western blot groups). Epi was administered every 12h, until the time of sacrifice. Histological and morphological analysis showed that Epi significantly reduced the area of damage and hypertrophy at 15 days in the damaged muscle. Furthermore, western blot assays showed that the treatment increases β-catenin (active) and myogenic proteins such as MyoD and Myogenin. These results show that Epi exerts therapeutic effects accelerating skeletal muscle repair after induced damage chemically, thus highlighting the therapeutic potential of this flavanol in different myopathies.